Relationships and team dynamics

It’s impossible to go through life without being in a team environment. Junior sporting sides, your first part-time job flipping burgers, group assignments at university and your chosen career all involve the ability to work with others. 

In all team dynamics the relationships between the various actors are integral to both the culture and success of the organisation. That’s not to say everyone will always be best friends, but what can’t be tolerated is an individual with a corrosive influence on the organisation.

As the most high-profile industry to emphasise both a team environment and a results-driven business, sport highlights the importance of internal relationships in a professional environment.

Here are five leading examples of when a coach and/or sporting organisation made the dramatic decision to part ways with a high-profile player to prioritise team culture.

• Wally Lewis – the Broncos

In 1990, there was no bigger personality in Queensland than Wally ‘The King’ Lewis. So, when a young coach named Wayne Bennett opted to move him on, it was hardly going to go unnoticed. Bennett had grown concerned about Lewis’s training standards and general attitude. Rugby League was transitioning into a more professional era where training sessions were becoming more rigorous, mid-week pub sessions less frequent, and players urged to watch their diet. None of this sat well with the most dominant player of the 1980s. Rather than promote a different set of rules for The King, Bennett made the tough call to move him and set a higher standard for the younger players.

Outcome: Although some in Brisbane swore they’d never forgive Bennett or the Broncos, it’s hard to argue the results that followed: The club won back-to-back premierships in 1992 and 1993 and became the dominant team of the 90s.

• Roy Keane – 2002 Football World Cup

The Pacific Island of Saipan is best known as the launchpad for both US atomic bomb missions in World War II. But in 2002, it served as the Ireland football team’s training base ahead of the Fifa World Cup, where a metaphoric nuclear bomb went off in the form of Roy Keane. The Manchester United captain was known in equal measure for his ability to dominate central midfield and his fiery temperament. Outraged at the poor preparation in Saipan – dodgy pitches, bad catering and no footballs – Keane gave Irish Manager Mick McCarthy a frank appraisal of the situation. It culminated in a fiery clash in front of the team that saw Keane storm out and not travel to the World Cup. This scene from the recently released movie ‘Saipan’ depicts the fallout, but comes with a strong language warning.

Outcome: Although Keane was justified in his concerns about the poor setup in Saipan, Ireland had a successful World Cup. The team qualified from the group stage and was unlucky to go out to Spain on penalties.

• Jeremy Giambi – Moneyball

Moneyball is arguably the most popular sports film of recent times, depicting the real-life story of how Billy Bean turned the Oakland Athletics into a baseball powerhouse using his revolutionary ‘moneyball’ theory. 

Midway through the film Bean, played by Brad Pitt, chastises the party-animal Giambi for dancing on a table with a drink in his hand after the team lost a match. Realising Giambi’s unprofessional approach is leading other players astray, Bean trades him.

Outcome: The Oakland A’s had the greatest winning run in the history of Major League Baseball, notching 20 consecutive victories. 

• Roy Keane (again) – Manchester United

In 2005, Manchester United suffered an embarrassing loss when captain Roy Keane fronted the club’s TV station for a pre-recorded interview. Keane savaged several players’ performance. When Manager Sir Alex Ferguson was made aware he was so taken aback that he ordered the video destroyed, never to see the light of day. A team meeting was called where Keane and Ferguson had an almighty bust up (sound familiar?). The following day Ferguson called another team meeting – with Keane a noticeable absentee. The legendary manager informed them Keane would never again play for Manchester United, and the same fate would await any other player who chose to publicly attack a teammate. 

Outcome: Manchester United won the English Premier League the following three seasons, with Ferguson building the team around young players such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

• Joe Montana – San Francisco 49ers

Joe Montana is an NFL quarterback legend who’d won four Super Bowls when injuries saw him miss both the 1991 and 1992 seasons. His replacement, the youthful Steve Young, didn’t just hold the fort – he established himself as one of the game’s leading players by winning the 1992 NFL MVP. When Montana returned for the 1993 season, the 49ers opted to stick with Young as starting quarterback. The decision split both the dressing room and the fanbase, with Montana making no secret that he didn’t want to be a bench player as the ‘face of the franchise’. Ultimately, it saw Montana traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Outcome: Young rewarded San Francisco’s trust with two league MVPs, and a Super Bowl victory – even breaking Montana’s own record of five touchdown passes in a Super Bowl. 

These five examples show how diverse sporting organisations chose the team over a talented individual, in each case without jeopardising future success. The take home: Every organisation should value not just the skill of an individual, but how they impact the team. Regardless of someone’s talent or achievements, if they upset the applecart, move them on.