Got Your Back! - The Importance of Team Culture

Britt Atack, Athletic Director, Northwest School

It was spring 2004 when I was at an early-season practice for Seattle Sockeye, an Ultimate Frisbee club team. I had played with Sockeye for seven seasons, and over the years we had gone from very good to mediocre to back on the rise again. This year's team had a number of new up-and-coming players joining the veterans. We were doing a cutting drill, and maybe we were still getting loose, but at this point many of the throws were not finding the mark and too many discs were being dropped. "Stop sucking!" yelled one of our returning players, somewhat seriously, somewhat sarcastically. To this, a new player named Chase spoke up: "Hold on. We aren't performing as we should right now, but let's not go negative. Let's refocus, and let's pick each other up when we make mistakes."

My ears pricked up and I watched for the team's reaction. Chase's statement was a departure from our previous team culture. The new guy was questioning the attitude of a veteran. Would this stand? In a matter of seconds heads were nodding and it was clear:  Things were going to change. Though we had been a good team, extremely good at times (World Champions in 1997), we had some big and unstable egos on the team. If we didn't play well solidarity could unravel. Guys would grumble then outright yell at each other. On occasion a sullen teammate would abruptly grab his bag mid-way through practice and leave in a huff. A couple of times teammates even exchanged blows. Off the field we got along well and many on the team were close friends, but on the field we were intense, accustomed to winning, impatient with anything less.

Chase may have been new, but he was a rising star among Ultimate players (and the next year, in 2005, he would be selected to play for Team USA and go on to win a gold medal at the World Games). He emanated competence, hard work, and a team-first rather than me-first approach. He had the rare ability to be liked by opponents even as he was dominating them. He bantered in an easy-going way with opponents during a lull in the game and would even offer a congratulatory high-five when others had bested him on a play. He, and a number of up-and-coming players like him, played all-out but with an air of respect for opponents, fair play, and the basic joy of playing the game. To some it may sound corny, but these young guys embodied a code of honor and a refreshing perspective in the wake of the testosterone-driven, belligerent, win-at-all-costs behavior seen too often in sports. So Chase's words about staying positive with each other resonated. Even the guys most inclined to behaving badly intuitively knew their behavior was counter-productive and selfish, but for some reason it had been seen as “okay” before.

Long story short, as that year's team set a new standard, Sockeye won its first National Championship and went on to win it three times in four years. Much of the championship success was due to the team's array of dominant athletes, but the supportive, got-your-back team culture was an integral element in the winning ways of the team.

No matter what the sport, a positive team culture not only leads to more W's, it simply makes the game more fun to play. Talk with athletes and former-athletes. Their favorite teams were the ones with capable players who "got on the same page," supported each other through thick and thin, and played with accountability to their teammates. The best teams have players who want to give their best for the sake of each other. They work hard to preserve what makes the team special. To them, working hard together is fun.

As I watch teams in our league compete, I keep an eye out for teams creating a dynamic where teammates just can't wait to get on the field with each other. These are the teams to watch - they have something very good brewing.

A brief footnote:  Chase is a graduate of one of the schools in our league, a number of amazing Ultimate players like him have come from several other Emerald City League schools, and even more are rising up through our league’s ranks right now. These players wonderfully represent the positive values we hope athletic participation is encouraging among student-athletes.