Team Captains: A Case Study

Like with so many things, having an effective leader makes the world of difference in terms of organization, morale, and team dynamics, so imagine my surprise when I learned that despite being in an athletic team as large as mine, my coach did not appoint any team captains. 300 athletes. Zero team captains. At first, I was baffled by his decision and desperately wanted him to reconsider his position, with my friends and I even approaching him before school and during lunch to discuss the matter at hand. Yet despite our efforts, we walked away utterly rejected. As time went on, and I began to internalize his words, I eventually learned to understand and even agree with his perspective. But this mindset once again shifted as fellow teammates began to raise the same questions that I had prior. As such, two years later, I hoped to approach this topic more holistically, interviewing a variety of students and coaches alike to understand their perspectives on the value of team captains. 

The first of whom I interviewed was Coach Schultz, and why he took on the non-traditional approach of refusing to appoint team captains.

Q: “I understand that you typically don’t appoint any one person as team captain. Could you please explain your reasoning behind this?”

A: “When I came to Arcadia High School, we actually did have team captains for the first two to three years. During that time period, the people that were captains often abused their privilege of being in power where they were actually verbally and sometimes physically abusive to their team members. So, I decided to do away with it and it’s worked fairly well since then.”

Q: “Aren’t you still unofficially recognizing certain individuals as team captains though, considering the additional responsibilities given to certain members of the team?”

A: “I give those responsibilities to anybody that can accept and help out, that's the key. You have to understand that the people who are going to be leaders don’t need a title, you can lead without being appointed anything. You all have the ability to influence your peers that way, everybody thinks you need a title to do so and that's just not the case. A title is meaningless when you appoint somebody and they decide that the title has given them extra privilege and the ability to do things that they shouldn’t be doing.”

Q: “What do you hope to achieve by not appointing any titles?”

A: “I hope that the people who are natural leaders rise up and do what we need people that are leaders to do. There is always going to be a certain percentage in any group of people that are leaders, and those people are going to lead by example, they are going to lead because they want to help out and do what’s right for the team and the group.”

I then interviewed Coach Snow, who although has fewer years of coaching experience, carries a starkly different attitude towards training. One such example? Team captains, where he expressed his support for this role.

Q: “What benefits do you believe team captains bring to a team and why do you think they are so important?” 

A: “Team captains bring a sense of culture and unity to a team. I only can speak from my experience, [but] there’s never been a team that I was a part of that didn’t have some sort of captain whose responsibilities were to lead the team in some way–whether that being and/or athletically, academically, or vocally. The captain's role wasn’t ever to dictate or enforce anything; they are more so the voice of the team: empathetic, the liaison of team and coach expectations, and often they aren’t [even the best athlete]. But they are often charismatic and can rally the team together in low points and keep the team on a high when everything is going great.”

Q: “What is your perspective on coaches who argue that team captains can instead present further conflict through misuse of power, etc?”

A: “There are certain checks and balances to determine a good fit for a team captain. Personally I think captains or [similar] roles need to always be established or it’s a recipe for chaos and disorganization. Example: The Arcadia track team doesn’t have captains. There is no one who is helping facilitate things when there are only 4 coaches and 200+ athletes. Everyone doesn’t warm up together. Practice doesn’t seem to have a time that it actually starts. Some days it’s at one time, others it’s a bit later because people are goofing off. Some people just go through the motions and it’s not beneficial for anyone. There isn’t some sort of structure or unity with doing drills. It just seems from the outside looking in there is no structure. Captains also help the team bond. I know the team is huge but there’s never been a team I’ve been a part of that I didn’t know everyone’s name. Captains create structure along with the coaching staff. Even if we rebrand the label “captain” to be something else it can work, but the idea behind what they represent is way more impactful and powerful than not having someone in that position.

Transitioning onto athletes themselves, I first interviewed Samantha Pape, who elaborated on her experiences with team captains, especially in a sport, in this case basketball, that is more team-based. I also interviewed Sameeka Patil, one of four swim captains, to reflect on her contributions to the team.

Q: “Could you elaborate on your experience with team captains, as well as how you feel they affect team dynamics? What contributions have you felt people have made to the team as captains?”

A (Pape): “[Our] two [captains, Shelby and Sadh,] are incredibly powerful and great people and I’m so grateful to have them as my captains. They affect the team by bringing everyone together in different ways: Shelby brings everyone together more-so on the court and Sadh unites everyone outside of the court, like socially. [Together] they make us a team! No one is really scared of the two because they’re comfortable with everyone and they’re always there for questions or comfort, whatever it is, those two are right by your side. I feel like [having captains] really helps with team chemistry as well as learning leadership and how to lead a team better. I feel it’s beneficial for all sides of a team whether it’s the captains themselves, the players, or even the coaches, the captains are there to learn and to help others! [As captains, some] contributions made [include] being the mediator of the team, having to bring everyone together and unite all the different grades in order to work together both on and off the court. The captains also have to be the biggest bursts of energy on the team–they can't get all hissy and just shut down when something doesn't go right, they have to continue to encourage others and be able to keep the energy of the team up.”

A (Patil): “I think a team captain is necessary to bring the team together as one and [to] avoid conflict within the team; people ask me, as the captain, a lot of questions about the team and look to me for confidence. [My responsibilities include] holding team dinners, meetings, and cheers to make the 80 people team more cohesive instead of having multiple smaller groups. Being captain has definitely taken a lot of effort but it was [ultimately rewarding].”

I then interviewed Emma Samvelian, who seemed to take on the unofficial role of captain within the track team, and how she felt about Coach Schultz’s decision to reject the formal appointment of leaders.

Q: “Do you feel team captains, appointed or not, are necessary?”

A: “I feel that truly responsible team captains who lead by example are necessary in a team. Appointment isn't necessary, but I think it would have a larger impact overall. Team captains are not only important to help lead the team, but to guide the higher ups in leadership in the right direction. Perspective is difficult, but important to understand when coaching (and vice versa). Students in leadership positions are essential in helping bridge the gap between coaches and athletes.”

Q: Would you consider yourself a team captain, despite not being officially recognized as such and why? 

A: “To me, a leader or captain of any sort is someone who humbles themself before their team; someone who leads them in the right direction, listens and understands their concerns, and encourages (and participates) in discourse of important matters. I don't know if I have lived up to this position, but I know I've given a lot of myself to my team. Whether or not the track team sees me as a captain, I hope my efforts have bettered the overall experience of my team members.”

Q: “Do you hold any strong emotions about Coach Schultz's decision to not name a team captain, especially as someone who is given the responsibilities of one?”

A: “ I think he refuses to appoint leaders due to several reasons. 

I think Coach Schultz is, frankly, quite prideful. Whether it be in his coaching style or [his] leadership decisions, he has not necessarily accepted or ever opened the floor for feedback from students. I don't think he has very much desire to hear back from us to improve his program because he believes his program cannot possibly get better. It may sound harsh, but I believe it to be true. Coach Schultz doesn't like his decisions or his style questioned. 

For me, another reason that stands out is he doesn't see anyone who fits his idea of the role. This seems like a wise decision at first glance, but when one considers the incredibly unrealistic standards he has, it seems more plausible. It is incredibly difficult to reach track perfection when you feel like practice is burning you out, you don't know the proper way to nurture your body and mind, and your coach doesn't see (or refuses to understand) your needs.”

Lastly, I approached former JV Baseball team captain Nathan Chang, where he shed light on the challenges he faced as team captain.

Q: “What was your experience as a team captain like? What were your responsibilities?”

A: “As a team captain, I lead team warm ups, and that was about it; basically just a regular teammate. I was a sophomore on a team of juniors, so a lot of juniors didn’t respect me because I was younger. I feel like as a captain, I didn’t carry much of an impact because the juniors would disrespect me and wouldn’t really listen to what I had to say, so in effect I was more of a [figurehead] captain. I would still be able to do something as a team captain but a lot of the things that I tried to make happen [failed] because a lot of my teammates didn’t respect me in that way. [Many teammates] did not take the sport seriously, they were there just to goof around and have fun, with little regard of wanting to win. For these reasons, Varsity does not have a team captain.”

Q: “Given your experience, do you believe that team captains are necessary?”

A: “I do feel like team captains are necessary to some extent, as long as the team actually respects them and actually respects authority.” They need to be given the proper environment to lead, and when that is not given by coaches and teammates alike, it makes it very difficult.

Q: “How are team captains appointed? How does this relate to the lack of respect you faced from the team?”

A: “Team captains are elected, but just because I was elected, they didn’t really respect me because the juniors simply did not want the responsibility themselves. I feel like, obviously you are going to vote for your friends, who their teammates are going to vote for–there’s a lot of peer pressure in voting, and because of this, people rarely actually vote for who they feel is the best leader.”

Based on these interviews, it is evident that under the proper environment and leadership, having a team captain can be extremely rewarding for the group as a whole, but as the saying goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.” If these responsibilities are mismanaged, it can quickly take a turn for the worse. While I may not completely agree with my coach’s decision against team captains, as I believe that the benefits of having them ultimately outweigh the drawbacks, I do understand his perspective. As my coach would say, don’t let labels determine your worth – dare to lead regardless.