Most people think of themselves as great teammates, but they misunderstand what it really means to be a great team player. There are many ways to show someone that a person is a great team player. An awesome teammate exhibits encouragement, athleticism, and persistency. Often times, people think that they are helping their team by being cocky and trying to control their team. That is not what makes a great player great.

First of all, a great teammate is encouraging to his or her team. An encouraging person is someone who cheers on his or her teammates and helps them succeed. Similarly, he or she will cheer for his or her team even when the coach has benched him or her. All the time, college basketball players are on their feet, yelling for their team. They are not dejected because they have to sit on the bench. Likewise, a kid on Joel’s baseball team cheered on his teammates even though he was on the bench. In brief, you have to be encouraging to be a great teammate.

Secondly, an awesome team player needs to be athletic. A teammate who is athletic contributes to the team by making outstanding plays. Just as making great plays, they have to be able to execute a play when the pressure is on them. To support this, David Ortiz, who plays for the Boston Red Sox, is known for hitting walk-off home runs for his team. He is able to execute a hit when he is their last hope. When Joel’s baseball team was losing to a team in his league, a kid on his team named Nick was able to hit a game-winning double. He showed an example of athleticism and maintaining his composure. It is evident that you need to be athletic to be an outstanding team player.

The last thing that one needs to show to be considered as an exceptional teammate is persistency. One who is persistent is willing to try their hardest and keep at their goals. Accordingly, they always try their best whether in practice or in a game. One example is someone who practices their hitting after they do not execute a game-winning play. In comparison, Michael Jordan was very persistent. He did not make his eighth grade basketball team but kept practicing and eventually he made it to the NBA. In one of Joel’s baseball games, a kid on his team blew a save in the final inning. That kid practiced his pitching and the next time he pitched, he redeemed himself by throwing three good innings. Ultimately, a person needs to be persistent if he or she wants to become a great teammate.

In summation, all teammates should be encouraging to each other. They should also work hard to become athletic. Like Michael Jordan, all people should be persistent in their goals. Encouragement, athleticism, and persistency are the three things a person needs to display to be a great team player. Everyone should check his or her self of these three things to see if he or she is a great team player.