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I have always had preference for individual sports such as lawn Tennis and a large section of track and Field over team sports like Soccer or Basketball. This is because it is easier to zone in on an athletes performance allowing for easier assessment of skill and capability which makes athletes look larger than life and predictions easier.

For team sports, the onus doesn't usually rest on an individual, as performance is shared and expectation lies on the entire team to deliver. However, there have been more than a few cases where we have had individual players so exceptional that they they seem to propel the entire team. These athletes solidify that status by becoming so exceptional as individual standouts, often defying statistics.

For a team with these kind of exceptional players, it could mean a series of top level performances which could usher them into an era of unprecedented and unparalleled success. For instance, average or middle tier teams with such talents could suddenly find themselves as high level contenders. Meanwhile, contenders who acquire such talents suddenly become consistent champions.

There is no doubt that having someone exceptional raises the performance level of the entire team. We have seen quite a few examples in recent memory with the Likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal National team, or Usain Bolt and the Jamaican Relay Team. However, the question which is obvious from these kind of special eras, are to what extent such players are able to influence a teams performance.

Building on Nothing

What would have happened for instance, if Usain bolt did not participate in the Jamaican relay team. Would they have gone on to win multiple world and Olympic medals as well as set a World record in the 4 x 100m relays? I certainly do not think think so. However, would they still have been a top team regardless of Usain? The obvious answer is yes as the team as at the time had a lot of high level Athletes Including Asafa Powell (a former World 100m record holder).

The whole point of this analogy is that it is extremely difficult to build on nothing. An exceptional player cannot an entire team composed of poor or below average players. In other to get the best out of someone exceptional, there ideally should be people above average supporting such a person. This is to ensure that the entire team is able to adapt and adjust when such a player tries to raise the level of the entire team.

The Good Player effect

An exceptional player can affect a team mentally to the extent that their physical level is raised even in absentia. A good example would be the Euro 2016 Final where Portugal stepped up and won the cup despite injury to Cristiano Ronaldo.

For a single player to have the necessary impact on a team, such a person first needs to be carried by the team before they can have an even greater effect on the team.