A team consists of people with collective responsibility who bring synergy through coordinated efforts to achieve a goal and display a level of performance which is more than the sum of personal inputs. Success is to get an intended result at its simplest. Achievement motivation is a desire of overcoming difficulties, of improvement and development [4].

Team cohesion is an important part for a successful team. Team performance comes off easily with team cohesion. You can imagine it like a working machine. If all parts move in coordination, the machine can show an intended performance.

This coordination also increases the motivation of team members. Players think themselves as an important part of team and they duly perform their duties with higher motivation.

They also have adjustable characters personally and socially according to a research [2]. A team member learns how to be well adjusted to team atmosphere, because it’s a necessity for success in all sports. Then it shapes his/her real life. Social interaction gets stronger and team members get encouraged to think with a team perspective.

Cooperation, socialization and leadership are a strong combination included in team sports. You may be heard or read this: ”United we stand united we are stronger”. If an individual can perform what the proverb indicates, he/she shares all burdens with the mates instead of struggling with problems personally.

Athletes become adaptable, persistent, and patient with diversion of personalities and different conditions. They also learn individual responsibility.

The individual talents each person has are recognized in an excellent way by being in a team with other members. According to the Janssen Sports Leadership Center [3], respecting one another, acting in unselfish ways, making good decisions on behalf of the team, and not cutting corners are what athletes learn as important life skills by working with teammates.

With all benefits, being a team is not easy all the time. Sometimes emotions and personal benefits can get ahead of team perspective. To eliminate this, athlete should be aware of these benefits and impacts on his/her life and team success. Coaches, managers, psychologists, mentors and other members should recognize that a team is as weak as the weakest team member. Members shouldn’t blame each other and instead they should analyse one another in a careful and sensitive way.

References

  1. Beyond physical fitness: the benefits of playing team sports, Army & Navy Academy, http://www.armandnavyacademy.org/blog/beyond-physical-fitness-the-benefits-of-playing-team-sports/

2. KIZMAZ, M., 2004, Bireysel ve takım sporu yapan sporcuların kişilik özelliklerinin karşılaştırılması, Marmara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü

3. MASLEN, P., 2015, The social and academic benefits of team sports, George Lucas Educational Foundation, http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/social-and-academic-benefits-team-sports

4. SOYER, F., CAN, Y., GUVEN, H., HERGUNE, G., BAYANSALDUZ, M., and TETIK, B., 2010, Uluslararası İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi, Investigation of relation between motivation of success and team unity of sportsmen, 7(1), 1303-5134