Being “The Guy” in Sports
Cross-posted from LinkedIn
“…he needs to develop that mindset to be the guy, for him to be great, and I think being Minnesota will help him do that.” — Bill Self on Andrew Wiggins
Everyone wants to be “the guy” at their work. They want to be relied upon, have the pressure on them and, obviously, get the credit. The patriarch of our own story. And as a younger professional, we rush towards that distinction. It’s a kind of overzealous need to succeed, when we should be comfortable just being on the team. We want more though.
In the example above, Andrew Wiggins wanted to create his own legacy and was subsequently traded to Minnesota. He didn’t request a trade, but felt it was best for him knowing he wanted to be his own man with his own team rather than a supporting player in Lebron James’ shadow.
I’ve picked professional athletes for use as examples in this post. Sports showcases the fallen heroes and the stars who were in over their head more than other professions. We’ve heard it over and over from players across multiple sports. Young players want to be put in a position to succeed. They want to be put in these situations alone. They want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line even when no one asks them. This is what great players do. They hit the ball, make the shot, throw the touchdown, and stop the goal.
Why shouldn’t they want this? They’ve been in that position before and succeeded in it. Through high school, they were “the guy” on their respective team. In college, everything repeated itself and they took this responsibility on again. As they beat inferior competition, they grew a confidence that helped propel them forward. The pros are different though. You’re now in a league where everyone was the captain of their amateur sports team and some guys can’t adjust.
Out of the eight pro athletes I found for this post, seven happen to be first round picks. (Other 5: Morgan Reilly, Jonathan Bernier, Josh Harrison, Marcus Stroman, and Bryce Harper.) There is pressure with the title of first round pick before a pro even plays a game. So when it’s not going well or up to the expectations of yourself or your team, why do they double down? They make a self proclamation to be better. That’s what’s expected of them after all.
“And this week, going through the walk through and going through everything, I was a lot sharper, and a lot more on top of this stuff, and I think these guys see me and see that I’m in the building really putting in a lot of work and I want to be the guy. That’s what I want to be for this organization.” — Johnny Manizel
It’s hard enough doing the job without adding that pressure. Before they announce this intention to the world, they tell themselves because they feel they have to. If you are “the guy”, you rarely say it because it doesn’t need to be said. It’s understood.
I think there’s insecurity in making this statement. It’s one thing to say it in private and it’s another to go to the media and say that. It depends who the statement is for though. In this case if Johnny was only concerned with what his teammates thought of him, he would not have said it to the press. But he did. Are you more likely to achieve your goal or be held accountable with making a declaration like this? Probably not. It’s still said nevertheless.
So far, I’ve used younger athletes to make my point. What about an older athlete? One who has been there and done that. He’s put the team on his back and has held the ball while behind in the final moments.
“Things change,” Aldridge said. “I’ve always enjoyed being the guy. I think working so hard in Portland to earn the right to have it be my team and to have my own team over the years and try to play at a high level, that was hard-earned. So I take pride in that. I cherish those years. I don’t want to be that guy. This team is so stacked that they really don’t need me to be that guy here.” — LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus was 30 years old when he made this statement to answer the question, Why did you sign with the Spurs instead of the Suns? Understanding the role he was being asked to take made the transition to San Antonio smooth. The team belonged to someone else and after years of being “the guy”, he was happy not being him. There is definitely admiration with this decision. A sign of maturity realizing he can’t be the “the guy” on the team anymore if he wants to win a NBA championship.
Though there is a common desire to be “the guy”, it’s not without the added pressure. A situation they are forcing themselves into that they maybe are ill suited for. It can be considered selfish to put one’s goals above the team. Someone would say it’s leadership. Either way, it should be a natural progression to becoming “the guy”. It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens everyday in the moments before and after the practice. So when a teammates passes it to you in the final moments, they know you won’t miss.
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