THE year 2016 comes with a lot of expectations in as far as attaining considerable success in the area of sport.
Various teams, clubs, sponsors and individuals have set numerous targets on what they hope to achieve this year in relation to how they signed off the previous year, be it on a high or a low note.
Everyone aspires to reach the pinnacle in any sport and success is all that drives athletes to compete favourably, but doing so requires one to work extra hard to achieve good results.
‘There’s no sweet without sweat’, as the well-known old adage goes, and hard work is not a substitute.
A team is a group of individuals who agree to cooperate and achieve goals. To a great extent, that simply means that each individual tries his or her best.
When a team truly becomes a team, in fact, it becomes impossible to speak of summing up at all.
The team effort is equal to the sum of the individual efforts. As part of a team effort in the fullest sense of the word, individuals become capable of offering more than they are capable of individually.
In essence, the team becomes capable of doing more than the sum of what the individuals on the team are capable of individually.
‘Playing a role’ is of the real meaning of team sports. In some sports such as football, rugby, hockey or basketball, roles are more clearly defined by position while in others; the roles require more judgment and honesty about abilities and limits.
There are more reasons why players this year, should have the obligation to figure out how their abilities fit into the team’s complex set of talents and weaknesses.
A team can only be successful if players combine abilities such as skills and the contributions of their personality, spirit, intelligence, dedication and all the intangibles of character that can enable a team to become better.
Opening a new chapter simply means discarding some forms of behaviour that tend to bring down the team.
It is, therefore, important that as we seek to reach greater heights this year, players, coaches, administrators and fans at large must have respect for the teams they represent.
Respect for the team often involves some form of individual sacrifice.  In virtually every sport, players are asked to assume roles, in a specific situation, a game, or even an entire season, not just because they have no other abilities, but because the team needs them to play those roles.
In every game there are players who do the ‘little things’ such as promoting team spirit, that usually go unnoticed by fans and are rarely mentioned in the media but yet these little things are what make possible the ‘big things’ that get mentioned in media.
The little things are essential for team success, and they should be pointed out and praised by coaches.
Such praise reinforces the value of team contributions and the bonds that hold the team together and make success possible.
Recently, Chipolopolo coach George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina fumed over the team list for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) that strayed in the hands of the media before an official release.
Lwandamina’s argument was that the development posed a greater risk to competition in the squad and he deemed it a recipe for complacency.
From a coaching stand point, this development was a serious breach of respect for members of his team.
Respect for teammates and teams means that competition among players for starting roles, more playing time and top statistics must always serve the efforts of a team to be a team.
Good competition among teammates can contribute to a team effort, but it must be done with respect in mind.
Besides respect, rules are cardinal to promoting discipline to avoid min-fighting and unnecessary clashes with officials.
2015 saw little incidents of players’ revolt or clashes with match officials, an indication that the calendar year recorded some disciplinary improvements.
Team rules and customs can promote team spirit and team unity. It is important to note that the point of the rules are clear and promote the idea that everyone on the team is a part of the team effort and the efforts of everyone are directed toward the success of the team.
Nothing destroys team unity more than an unequal application of team rules by coaches or unequal responses to them by players.
Good sportsmanship is another aspect that needs serious attention from individual players, coaches, fans and other stakeholders this year.
The difficulty has always been that players are often so caught up in the intensity of the competition that they fail to appreciate those elements of sport that would balance their momentary passion for success and victory.
However, that can change if all stakeholders aim to make sport enjoyable as it should be.
Referees are part of the unspoken agreement that makes the game possible. One cannot have a sport contest without rules and the enforcement of rules.
In organised contests, match officials are the interpreters and enforcers of the conditions of competition and often referred to as guardians of the spirit of the game.
For that reason, respect for the officials is directly proportional to respect for the game.
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