By David

I see we have been the beneficiaries of another sermon from Mount Swimnews. This time, “from heaven did the Lord behold the earth,” and say, “Individuals without a strong team structure behind them tend to emerge from Olympic finals with a ranking equal to or lower than that they enjoyed going into Olympic year.”

Craig Lord is arguing in favor of, what he calls, the strong American team system and against the disruption of personality that he says is affecting the South African team just now.

It’s pretty typical of establishment commentators like Lord to revere conformity and abhor individualism. But to suggest that independent individuals are somehow weaker and less able to perform great deeds is just rubbish.

Probably the world’s greatest sportsman, Mohammed Ali, was the ultimate independent individual. For a period he stood alone; denied status by his sport and his nation. He was shot at, jailed, and refused permission to play. He was alone and hated, without a team or a nation. But he emerged a supreme winner. By the strength of his character and iron will, he overcame. Ali, the individual beat his sport and won over his country. Craig Lord is never going to convince me that the Mohammed Ali that stood and lit the Atlanta Olympic flame was the product of some team factory. To believe that is to belittle and diminish the strength of Ali’s character and the torment of his lonely exile.

Lord’s wildly inaccurate view also ignores the record of magnificent African runners. Men like Abbe Bikila, and Kip Keino; women like Lornah Kiplagat and Mary Chemweno. Bikila didn’t have a team; he didn’t even have shoes when he ran 2.15.16 to win the Rome Olympic marathon.

Kip Keino didn’t need a team either. Fancy that, the man who won two Olympic gold and two silver medals and is now revered as the father of the African running revolution didn’t have a team. How did he do it? He did it like all the other best Olympic athletes. He was tough, he worked hard and he was an individual, maybe even a slightly lonely one.

Lord’s view that team structure is the driving force behind America’s Olympic success is simplistic and misleading. Team structure has little to do with it. To say that it does, runs counter to one of the most basic underlying qualities of American life; the value it puts on individualism. As long ago as 1840 Alex de Tocqueville in his book “Democracy in America” described Americans as exceptionally individualistic; “each man is forever thrown back upon himself, and there is a danger that he may shut up in the solitude of his own heart.” One only has to look as far as the absence of universal health care in the United States, to detect the American’s belief in individual, rather than team responsibility.

Individual personal gain is the fuel that drives America’s gold medal victories, just as obviously as it has driven its corporate and industrial success. A façade of team unity may modestly strengthen America’s individualism. It certainly makes the drive for personal gain more politically acceptable. Lord, however, has seen the façade of America’s team structure, and has described it to us as the substance of America’s success.

One does not need to scratch the American team structure far to see the cult of individualism appear. Lochte is hard at work now because he wants to win the 200IM in Beijing in twelve months. He undoubtedly does not wish Phelps any ill will but my guess is he certainly wants him to be second. Don’t be fooled by the well rehearsed cheers and untroubled contract signings; life in the USA team is probably more cut throat than any other team in the world. Sure, US swimmers don’t hate each other but at the international level it’s every man and woman for themselves.

It’s a bit off the subject but I tell you what US swimmers do have that helps them win. They have bloody good officials and a good Federation. US athletes are looked after. They are paid well. Their Federation is efficient and fair. If you don’t believe me; does your Association have an air conditioned lounge with TV, soda, Gatorade, water and as much good food as you can eat at its national championships. They don’t? Well the Americans do and in a way that lounge is symbolic of why American swimmers are the world’s best. It’s not a team thing, but it is looking after the individual.

Lord may tell you that “individuals without a strong team structure” are likely to fail. He is wrong. If you’re swimming laps in the North Sydney pool, running Lydiard’s Waitakeres in New Zealand, or swimming a hard set of 400s freestyle in Florida’s heat; wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, it’s not a team structure you need. You need to be tough, dedicated and hard beyond belief. If you are, you can win an Olympic gold medal, on your own.