Playing for Something Bigger Than Yourself

What 'The Redeem Team' can teach us about Sport and Life

I was inspired by the ‘Redeem Team’ documentary film about the men’s US basketball 2008 gold medal-winning Olympic team. If you have not yet watched the film (on Netflix), I offer my recommendation — not least because of the early footage and character insights of LeBron James and the late, great Kobe Bryant — it is an enlightening and highly entertaining watch. The film also marks the first collaboration between the International Olympic Committee — IOC and a global streaming service (Netflix), with director Jon Weinbach, following-up on the success of ‘The Last Dance’ in 2020. Long form sports content is HOT right now — you can check out the trailer here:

For those unaware, the men’s US Basketball Olympic team became known as the ‘redeem team’ owing to the failure of the US team at the preceding Olympic Games in Athens, in 2004. Success and failure themselves are subjective labels based upon definition, however, for a US Men’s basketball team, particularly in the early 2000’s, failure simply meant not winning Gold — as proven by the sub-par performance and subsequent award of the Bronze medal in 2004.

The documentary film goes on to showcase the various aspects of how excellent, world class teams are developed. I will leave you to watch for yourselves — this newsletter is not a film review platform — but I have identified five underlying themes at play that I believe can act as helpful lessons for our own collaborative work efforts. I believe leadership, teamwork, and communication are more important that ever today owing to the globalisation of sport and its implications (many of which have been accelerated due to COVID). We now live in a world where remote working is the norm, we require a blend of generalist and specialist skills to create truly outstanding and relevant work, and different departments are now interdependent for great work to be created (e.g. comms/marketing/commercial teams).

But what really facilitates the development of excellent, world beating teams? And what insight does the Redeem Team provide us with to showcase how this can be achieved? Below are my five themes. Note one overarching factor at play — responsibility lies with each and every individual within the team.

1. Magic happens when we come together for something bigger than ourselves

The beauty of international competition is its ability to unite a nation around a common goal — it is incredibly powerful — and perhaps why events such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup are so adored. While each and every one of us is an individual with our own quirks and characteristics, we represent our countries and and it tunes the mind in to focus because of this nationalistic significance. Individual identity is cast aside for the representation of oneness, a wholeness that is their own country, and when this application is made properly, magic can happen.

What do you make of the sound of a basketball being bounced repetitively by an individual on the gym floor? You may tune in to the rhythm and flow, but you will probably not think too much about it, but if a full team of 12 all bounce their own balls together it becomes music and it gains in impact. The sounds become sharper; louder; more intense and you begin to feel something brewing.

What the Redeem Team emphasised was that the will of a collection of individuals to sacrifice, or rather, mould their own egos to the benefit of the team, was the key contributing factor to their subsequent success. The collective will always outshine the individual.

2. The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek

There is beauty in going through a trial or ‘ordeal’ that you have not previously faced. For those of us in business, we can all recall giving our first presentation or delivering our first report. It acts as a stress test for whether all our accumulated learning and skills can be applied in a new and unfamiliar environment. You may question yourself and feel nervous or anxious, while being astutely aware of keen-eyed onlookers who will be assessing how you fair. While some people may crack in the moment, others will shine in such times, and it is fascinating to see this play out with elite athletes in this film, considering every member of the team has been thrust into an unfamiliar situation given what occurred (the US team lost its first ever Olympic Basketball match in 2004). In reality, by engaging in such a situation, there is no loser — there are lessons to be learned during hardship, and in a strong team environment, there is scope to develop, elevate your colleagues, and come back better.

3. Bringing to life your own meaning creates a ripple effect

This is where I have to talk about Kobe. His influence on the team was astounding, and as an experienced head, his leadership through application was evident. There is one scene where the players decide to go out clubbing in Vegas ahead of travelling out to China for the Games, and as they arrive back to the hotel lobby in the early hours, Kobe, who had not attended the outing, bumps into the returning team on his way to the gym to train. His on-court ‘Black Mamba’ persona was only made possible owing to the strength of his conviction and his willingness to put in the work. The team took note, and within a week, each and every member was up bright and early to train. Kobe only knew one way, and through his actions, the collective bar was raised. This was again evident in the film when, in a crunch match versus Spain during the Games he physically targeted his close friend, ‘brother’ and NBA teammate Pau Gasol early on in the match to shock his teammates in an unexpected manner to highlight where his loyalty resided while representing his country on the court. For Kobe, giving all of himself to a greater cause mattered more than anything.

4. Being open and humble can lead to pain, but it also builds character

Pain and suffering do not have to be permanent—at least in a sporting context — if it fuels the right reaction. The 2004 failure served to sharpen the minds of the US team leading into 2008 and this meant seeking improvement in every aspect. What was evident in the film was the importance of assembling and then uniting a team filled with personality and character—this is where Coach K earned his keep. He played every card possible to get into the hearts and minds of his team, drawing on expertise from his own time in the military and even past US athletes who had suffered. While emotional in and of itself, what this achieved was the chipping away at the ego of the players. They began to understand that no matter how revered they might be playing for their teams back home, they needed to be open and willing to blend in with their teammates to achieve success. This was no more evident than when two ‘alpha males’ in Kobe and LeBron put ego to one side and just competed as hard as they could without comparison to one another. They were united by a common goal and were selfless in their actions.

5. It’s all a game. Hard work is to be endured and enjoyed

What is it about sport that resonates so deeply within us? Well, as human beings there is nothing we love more than to play. Games are our method of searching deep into ourselves and understanding what we are capable of. It is a trait throughout our existence. Joy can be found in the moments where we give our all in the pursuit of something great. Life on this plane of our existence can feel so serious, and it is of course temporary. Shouldn’t giving the best of ourselves be what truly matters to us? Should we not therefore enjoy this pursuit given life’s serious nature? Game playing and associated competition creates a safe space for growth and enjoyment — it is perhaps why sport is so valuable to societies all over the world. Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing served as the ultimate reminder of our impermanence and perhaps his appreciation and enjoyment for working and committing the way he did should be admired. After all, if at the time we depart this life, we do so having not given our best and enjoyed doing so, would it really have been worth it?