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As the average sports fan, do you think you know what it takes to win games? Can you point to the single-most integral factor that separates winners from losers? There are so many things that can affect the outcome of an athletic competition, but there is, beyond a reasonable doubt, one that stands above the rest.
If you think the answer is coaching, you’re not even close. That’s like saying your professor is the ultimate determining factor in what grade you get on a test. Sure they teach the content, but it’s up to you to study what you’ve learned, to know the material inside and out and to recall that information when the test is on your desk. Coaching has a relatively minimal effect on the outcome of a game. They help to prepare their players, but any coach in their right mind will tell you they don’t determine whether their team wins or loses. After all, they aren’t the ones stepping on the field, court or rink at game-time.
If you answered talent, you’re one strike away from sitting on the bench next to your coach. Talent looks great on paper, but is essentially the equivalent of the girl that was captain of your high school cheerleading squad. Sure it’s attractive, and it might even win you a few games that you shouldn’t have won. But once things get serious, if that’s all you have to offer, you’re as useful as my kid sister in a street fight, but definitely not as intelligent.
So if it’s not either of those it must be smarts, right? Well, not quite. You’re getting closer, because if you have the smarts then you probably understand what it takes to win. Unfortunately though, that alone won’t do it.
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is attitude. Before you all attack me on the comment board like you did for my column on Tim Duncan — which was priceless, by the way — let me clarify a few things. I’m not stupid; I understand it takes a combination of all of these things to be successful. If you’ve ever played a sport, especially the one I know best, you know the team that thinks it’s going to win usually does. There is nothing more powerful than having a group of individuals who know they’re going to win before they even play the game.
In order for a team to be able to utilize this concept, there are a few important qualifications: The first is that it has to be a team-wide understanding. If there are only a handful of people who have the attitude, it’s completely pointless. The second is preparation. Without the correct preparation, there will be a lack of confidence, which results in the wrong kind of attitude.
Finally, and probably most importantly, the individuals on the team must have mental toughness. Every team is faced with adversity at one time or another, but it’s the one that is strong enough to respond that will win out. When these things combine with good coaching and an abundance of talent, you’ve got yourself a championship contender.
