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What does it mean to be on a team?

It’s a question I always thought had an obvious answer, but the way the sports landscape is changing, I’m beginning to wonder if that holds true. Recently, UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka quit his team because of a disagreement in financial compensation from his school and he will now be a virtual free agent to play for any college team in 2025. 

That’s the story that got me thinking about what teams are these days, but the thought has been dwelling in my mind for quite some time. I’ve seen more and more social media posts of high school, and even middle school athletes, that are completely focused on getting recruited or leveling up. Unfortunately for many of these athletes, they will not end up like Sluka.

It’s a simple fact that most high school athletes will never achieve an athletic scholarship.

I’m not trying to say that kids shouldn’t have dreams or that they shouldn’t try to play at the next level if their passion and talent level is there. But it shouldn’t be the only thing they care about.

When I think of a team, I think of practices where everybody pushes each other and lifts each other up. I think of the feeling you get in school when you see a teammate in the hallway, and you give them that nod of acceptance. I think of long bus rides with lots of laughs and I think of the memories made and shared by a group of driven athletes. I think of a rare camaraderie that brings the entire group together in a meaningful, but selfless pursuit of winning.

There are many athletes who still carry these traits, but I hear more and more stories of athletes asking what a coach or team can do for them, instead of asking what they can do for the team.

It’s important to remember that being on a team is a privilege, not a right. A privilege is something you work for and earn, not something that is handed to you just for showing up.

In its purest form, a sport should teach athletes the necessary skills to survive setbacks in life and stay motivated when things are looking bleak. It doesn’t matter if you’re headed for a Division I scholarship, an intramural team, or you never play sports again, those types of lessons will help you for the rest of your life.