A recent story in “The Onion” pokes fun at youth sports’ misplaced values. If you aren’t familiar with “The Onion” it is a satirical online newspaper. Some of the stories contain an offensive word or two (like this one—you’ve been warned) and usually there’s a point worth thinking about, as in Whoa, Opposing Little League Team Has Last Names On Their Jerseys.

This story jokes, but I recently saw a photo of a youth team that does indeed have the kids’ names on the back.  

Whether it intimidates or lights a fire under an opponent is debatable, but it certainly doesn’t mean the team is more talented. It might give a kid a confidence boost to wear what looks like a professional uniform, but it might also feed an unrealistic view of their ability. Unfortunately, it also highlights the individual at a time when kids should be learning the importance of being part of a team.

Community and city recreation teams are often the names of local sponsors. Kids should be proud to play for the Corner Drug Store or Smith Automotive and grateful to the business owners who paid for the jersey and helped provide the opportunity to play.

And they should be proud to represent their middle or high school team by wearing the jersey of the Tigers, the Panthers, or at a couple towns here in Wisconsin, the Cheesemakers or the Papermakers.  

Kids can learn to take pride in representing their community. Their school. Their team. And they can learn that everyone has responsibilities and roles that contribute to the team’s success or lack of it, just like in the workplace.

Employers still need team players  

When I started my career, taking part in extra-curricular activities was seen as good training for learning to work with others toward common goals. Having played on a team was seen by potential employers as a beneficial experience.

That hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s more important than ever.

Many of today’s workplaces are much flatter than the traditional top-down structures. Teams are expected to collaborate, more people are involved in decision-making and it’s clear who is contributing and who is not.

As someone who values teamwork, my favorite work team experience was being part of a self-organizing agile team. A writer (me!), web designer and web developer were assigned to each project, and we worked directly with our internal client on their requests. We planned our work together, then each of us executed our role. We met briefly each morning to make sure everyone had what they needed from each other to move forward.

Our boss served as the project owner. It was his responsibility to provide the environment and tools we needed to do our best work, just as a coach prepares his team with an offense and defense to run during the game. 

Without each of us taking personal responsibility our team would not have met our goals. Individuals must develop strong skills, but no one wins the game alone.

It’s a lesson kids should learn early.

More can always be accomplished when team members focus on a common goal for the name on the front of the jersey.   

Thanks, Lauren!