I think that team chemistry is one of the most underrated things for success in sports. Even in sports where it may not seem as critical as it is in basketball or football, it matters. And that’s one of the reasons I think the Phillies are having so much success. They love each other and support each other.
Having played sports from kindergarten through college I’ve been on many different teams. I grew to be able to recognize when a team had chemistry and when it didn’t. And what a difference when we had it.
When a team has chemistry, you can feel and sense how you are all working together for the same goal. You are pushing each other to make yourselves better. You care about each other and love being around each other. It’s hard to achieve team chemistry but once you do, it’s such a beautiful thing.
I will never forget my final year of college cross country. Even though xc is somewhat of an individual sport, your performance helps your team. That year we had great chemistry. We all got along, all pushed each other every practice and all supported each other. I remember our final workout before Nationals, how we clicked off the fastest 800s I’ve ever run on the track, one behind the other and all together. We were so good in this workout, I knew we would run well and we did, placing in the top ten nationally. I remember truly feeling like we were running for the rest of the team that was not in our top seven because they supported us so much and pushed us so much that season. We weren’t just running for the seven of us there competing but the other five or six runners not there. We were all in this together. It was an amazing experience.
I’ve also been on the opposite end of the team chemistry. I’ve been on at least one team where there was hardly any team chemistry and it was awful and not surprising, the season was filled with a lot of losing. This team I am thinking of did not work together. Cliques formed on the team. Hard fouls were committed during practice. There was blame being thrown around after each loss. It was miserable. Basketball is such a team sport that you need at least some chemistry and if you have none, it’s a long season.
And that what makes this Phillies team so special. You can tell how they just click and support each other. They don’t get frustrated when they have been down. They stick together and keep fighting and now they are headed to the World Series.
Since I always talk about how sports mirrors life, the same is true with chemistry. We need this for many of our jobs. If you and your coworkers can’t work together or support each other, it makes for a difficult and uncomfortable experience. But when you work together and support each other, it’s such a different experience. You enjoy being there and sense the working towards a common goal and it makes things so much easier.
The same can be said for activities involving school. Group work or projects are so much easier when you work well together and all contribute. School plays or scout activities come together so much better when groups are cohesive and get along.
The reality is we may end up in groups we don’t like or have difficulty getting along, but we need to push that aside for the goals we have, whether it’s winning a sports game, completing a project for school or work, putting on a play or performance or trying to manage a group of employees.
Chemistry is more than just a subject we had to take in high school. It’s working together towards a goal, it’s supporting each other and it’s picking each other up. It’s necessary not just on the sports field but in many areas of life.
The Astros are going to be tough to beat but the Phillies have that team chemistry which really is hard to achieve. And that’s why I do believe in this team and do think they have a chance to win the World Series. It’s because they have something that can’t necessarily be taught. It comes from something that has to develop and happen. I’d be afraid of any team that is as together and supportive of each other like this Phillies team. You never know what can happen when a team works together and has chemistry!
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