The strive toward perfection is something that every coach is constantly looking out for. It's a universal understanding that the "Perfect Athlete" is one that possesses vital physical elements such as height, speed, and strength etc. However, being the perfect athlete doesn't necessarily make you the perfect athlete and many players who possess these physical elements still fall through the cracks of professional sport because they don't possess what coaches like to call "The Intangibles". These are attributes found in athletes that require no physical talent or skill but add significant value to players who aren't as physically blessed as the LeBron James' or Cristiano Ronaldo's of the world. In fact, in my eyes, it makes them even more valuable.
It's no question. Every great team requires great players. The Bulls had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Barcelona had Messi and Iniesta. The Patriots had Brady and Gronkowski. But I would bet my life savings (which isn't a lot but that's beside the point) that each one of those great teams had an "Intangible". A player that didn't perform particularly well when it came to points scored or goals assisted but led the team in other categories such as leadership, effort, intelligence, and team attitude. In my mind, these are the 4 horse-man of the intangible athlete, and any player that possesses all 4 are right up there with unicorns and fairy dust.
Leadership is often confused with deafening shouting from an on-pitch dictator, but any fool can do that. Intangible leadership is found in an athlete who can lead by example and bring the rest of the team up in times of hardship and struggle. Jordan Henderson is a great example of this. For a Premiership footballer, is he the most physically or technically talented on Liverpool's squad? Hell no. But he makes up for it with world-class leadership that he showcases in several ways. As a matter of fact, Henderson has become such a good leader that just his presence within the starting lineup has a beneficial effect on Liverpool's performance. With Henderson in the starting lineup, Liverpool has a win percentage in the Premier League of 73.8% in comparison to a 67.4% win percentage with him on the bench. That's leading by example. That's true leadership.
Unlike leadership, an athletes effort is truly measurable. Any good coach can see if a player is contributing significant effort and will aim to do small things well in order to contribute to a team goal. This intangible is particularly important in a professional sport, as something as small as an extra tackle can be the difference in winning and losing. A popular example is the story of Tim Anderson, who as a defensive lineman at Ohio State, was looking to earn one of the last scholarship's available. It was a close call between him and 2 exceedingly better athletes but Anderson won the position based on one display of advanced effort. Even with his team ahead, Anderson broke through an opposing line and blocked an extra point. In the moment it seemed pointless, but Anderson went on to become a starter at Ohio State for 3 years and is now playing in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. A play that meant nothing ended up meaning everything. The importance of effort cannot be overemphasized.
Intelligence itself is a gift. A coach knows that most of their athletes won't be able to go off and unravel the theories of the universe or build a large hadron collider. Instead, all a coach expects is for their athlete to be a student of the game. An athlete who understands their role and understands the game is much more dangerous than an athlete that looks to dominate his opponents physically. John Stockton is the embodiment of an intelligent basketball player. At 6'0" tall and just 170lbs, Stockton was the furthest thing from physically dominant and instead played to his strengths, assists and steals. With his advanced knowledge of the game and of his own team-mates, Stockton played in the NBA for 19 seasons and led the Utah Jazz to the NBA playoffs every year, missing only 22 games throughout his career. He became the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals and remains one of basketball's greatest ever point guards.
Finally, team attitude is more simply known as being a good team-mate. Instead of "me, me, me" and the mature professional athlete will say "we, we, we" (Yes, it's not just the French that says it!). Fortunately, this is a trait we are beginning to see more in future Hall of Fame athletes such as Stephen Curry who put the needs of the team ahead of their individual accolades. After winning back-to-back MVP trophies in the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons, Curry was instrumental in recruiting Kevin Durant to the Warriors in 2017. He cast aside himself being the face of the Warriors franchise in pursuit of an NBA Championship, something that the whole team would benefit from. Although most of Curry's statistical averages went down that season, the Warriors ended the 2017/2018 campaign with a Larry O'Brien trophy over their heads and an NBA Championship ring on their finger, showcasing that being a great teammate is one of the most beneficial roles in all of sport.
So the next time you're watching your favourite team, just remember that every successful sporting machine requires an engine, and the athletes that drive their team to victory aren't the ones that score the goals or hit the game-winning 3-pointer but is instead the unrecognised intangible who contributes their attributes that cannot be taught.
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