The "Best" Player
Why is it that on every team there always seems to be
discussion about which player is the "best" player? Is it because of the poor
examples provided by professional athletes? Or perhaps it is a by-product of
parents constantly pushing their children’s agenda? Whatever the cause, we all
know it’s a detrimental, unproductive discussion; yet many parents and player
engage in this very debate.
Not only is the decision as to who is the "best" player
highly subjective, it fails to account for built in viewer biases, etc. For
example, some may conclude that a goalie who makes one great save played the
"best," while others might watch the forwards more closely and conclude a player
up front played better. All this in a 0-0 tie.
Too often, however, parents who participate in or engender
such discussions seek only to affirm their own perceptions of the status of
their own child. How often do we notice that parents discuss their own child’s
special abilities?
Even worse than this, however, is when the conversation goes
too far, and ventures into discussions about perceived limitations of other
players. For these people, it’s not enough to talk about how wonderful their own
child is; they must also tear down other players as well. Beyond the obviously
detrimental effect such discussions have, the participants can miss an important
point. To be truly successful in a team sport, players have to participate in a
manner that demonstrates that the whole is greater than its individual parts. In
soccer, the greatest players are known not only for their own abilities, but
also for their ability to make the players around them play better. How do they
do this?
There are so many ways the great players accomplish this task
that we could talk about them for hundreds of pages. Some examples include the
player who works harder at practice despite their high skill level. By the mere
act of working hard, such players often motivate their teammates to work hard
and improve. Another way that good players help make those around them better is
when they demonstrate through actions and words that they support their
program–i.e., the coach’s system–and have faith in their program. Far too often,
even at the ripe old age of 11, boys conclude that they could improve practice,
training, etc. Despite their skills, they become antagonistic toward the
program, and the result is they drag weaker players into their web of
discontent. The higher skilled players suffer less from this problem, however,
because it is the weaker player whose development stagnates.
For players who truly love the game, any drill, any run, any
competition gets their undivided attention and uncompromised effort. When a
player participates in this manner, he gives himself the best chance of
improving and increases the odds he will bring others along.
