From the 2009-10 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team to the 2022-23 Phoenix Suns headlined by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the concept of super teams has taken over the world of sports yet again. It’s no secret that many organizations seek to bring in whoever in order to certify their chances of winning a championship. But it seems as if the road to being crowned champion isn’t as easy as many thought it’d be.
Over the years, super teams have had the reputation of struggling from the start, with some not winning a championship at all. Examples include the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder who have had teams revolving around at least two all-star players, but failing to win a championship.
Outside of basketball, there are teams like the Los Angeles Angels who have never seen the light of day when it comes to winning the World Series, even after having players such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols.
Recently, teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and the number-one-ranked Louisiana State University Tigers women’s basketball team struggled in their debuts, after adding high-level talent to their already-established rosters. The Clippers added 10-time all-star James Harden to their star-studded roster containing Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The Tigers added Hailey Van Lith through the transfer portal to team up with Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson and become back-to-back national champions.
With the Clippers losing to the New York Knicks in Harden’s debut and the Tigers dropping their season opener against the Colorado Buffaloes, it caused some concerns given that both teams were favored heavily to win. Media outlets were quick to express their thoughts regarding these organizations following their losses. But it’s still a bit early to determine a team’s overall season success, given that the season just started for both teams.
As these teams look to bounce back from their losses, USC students explained their outlook on the reputation of super teams and their early struggles.
Zach Bittino, USC freshman majoring in business administration, said the fall of these types of teams comes from the vibe that they get amongst each other. Bittino said he doesn’t believe in the concept of a super team because of prior experiences and how many of them look out for themselves rather than the team.
“It’s a chemistry thing,” Bittino said. “The big thing about team play is that you have to be able to work together and with my experience with super teams, everyone wants to play for themselves. They don’t really understand how to play with each other yet.”
Andrew Harbour, USC freshman and member of the Trojan baseball team, disregarded any sort of idea behind super teams because of the ways in which he’s seen them pan out. Harbour said he knows that, with players being who they are, it would lead to a lot of complications.
“My feelings on super teams is that they never end well,” Harbour said. “Too many big personalities clashing. Too much going on. Kind of end up being failures.”
Harbour also said the fall of the super teams stems from not only the players, but the coaches as well. This leads to the results that many are able to see through the media.
“It starts with the coaches and with the players to take the initiative and take the time to want to have a relationship with one another,” Harbour said. “That goes a long way with what you see on the field and the overall performance as a team.”
Max Miller, USC senior and a member of the Trojan water polo team, said he knows what it takes to connect the minds of players. Miller said the ideal of being a great team with great players all depends on what the players are willing to do for each other.
“We’ve had teams in the past that have had great players, but the cohesion wasn’t there,” Miller said. “Communicating is the number one thing with being on the same page. So spending a lot of time together so everyone gets to know each other works the best.”
Nonah Waldron, a USC freshman studying business administration and member of the Trojan track and field team, acknowledged what the team goes through knowing that expectations are high.
“Obviously they have rocky starts, but that’s because you’re putting together a team full of people who are used to being the best on their team,” Waldron said. “When you train with the best of the best, it’s only gonna make you better as a collective.”
But Waldron said success comes day by day, not in an instant. Waldron said she believes all players that have the same mindset will help the team achieve success, knowing everyone is on the same page.
“Create shared goals,” Waldron said. “And when everyone reaches a consensus of one goal, one common goal, one common dream and everyone working towards one thing, then it’ll come together over time.