Below is a short commentary on a fun article I recently read. (See link below.) The Online Business Degree put together a list of the best teams ever assembled. I read through the list and agreed with most. Some sounded a little contrived, but workable. Here are my reactions.
I’ll take each team in order:
1. The Dream Team:
Yes, they were the finest basketball team ever assembled, but they were also professionals. I thought the Olympics was supposed to be amateur. I vaguely remembered a guy named Jim Thorpe losing his metals because he was accused of accepting gifts. I’m behind the curve on this; maybe The Olympics has turned pro, and I missed it. But the Dream Team always seemed odd to me.
2. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as fictional characters. They weren’t real. But they sure had some fun adventures, and the recent Hollywood film is pretty good. Doyle presented them as pretty good team, I must admit. Still… it’s hard to get behind them as a real team.
3. Rogers and Hammerstein:
Now here’s a great team! Nothing fake about them. This was some of the greatest music of the Twentieth Century.
4. SEAL Team Six:
Worthy of our worship (figuratively speaking). Have you seen how SEAL teams are trained and formed? Watch the documentary some time… It’s amazing!!!
5. The Beatles:
Yep, I’d go with them too! Millions of people around the world still listen to their music. But “more famous than Jesus”? I don’t think so.
6. 1985 Chicago Bears:
Don’t know much about sports, so I can’t comment much. But hey… if they won a Super Bowl they had to be pretty good.
7. The Justice League:
Another fictional team. Humm… I’m not convinced fictional teams work for me. It’s easy to write fiction because the characters don’t actually have to accomplish anything. You can just write up a bunch of cool scenes and you’re done. Can I learn anything from fiction? Yes. But generally, non-fiction is the most inspiring to me.
8. The Apollo 11 team:
Now here’s a real super hero team! These guys went to the moon with less computing power then an iPod. Pretty amazing when you think about it!
9. The Not Ready for Primetime Players:
Wonderful team of comedians! I’ve always enjoyed them.
10. The Manhattan Project:
Yes! Another great team of scientists that I can get behind. Most people don’t know how great these guys actually were, and how they literally saved the world. But sadly… most people don’t know history.
If I had created the list, I would have dropped the fictional teams. Sure, they sound great, but it’s debatable how much they actually inspire. For instance, Sherlock Holmes was a pretty smart character, but most people find it difficult to pattern their lives after a character in a novel. It’s like trying to be more like Huck Finn or Indiana Jones. It’s entertaining, but not inspiring.
Lastly, I would have liked to see “The 12 Disciples” listed as a team. Jesus didn’t pick them for their skills and awesome speaking abilities, but in the end they changed the world. That kind of power can’t be ignored, and they are men you can comfortably pattern your life after.
Overall… it was a fun article. It was well thought out, and fun to read.