The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World's Greatest Teams

Several years ago Sam Walker set out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: What are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, then applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, from the NBA to the English Premier League to Olympic field hockey. It's not the coach. The secret to winning is not what you think it is. It's something else entirely. Told through riveting accounts of some of the most pressure-soaked moments in sports history - from Bill Russell's legendary "Coleman Play" in the 1957 NBA Finals to Barcelona's "Figo Game" against Real Madrid in 2000 - The Captain Class doesn't just bring these events to life; it presents a fresh, counterintuitive take on leadership that can be applied to a wide spectrum of competitive disciplines. The former global sports editor of The Wall Street Journal profiles the greatest teams in history and identifies the counterintuitive leadership qualities of the unconventional men and women who drove them to succeed. Each team had the same type of captain - a singular leader with an unconventional skill set who drove it to achieve sustained, historic greatness. In short, the seven attributes they shared challenge your assumptions of what inspired leadership looks like.. When he was done, he had a list of the 16 most dominant teams in history. It's not money. It's not

P. Wung said A must read for the sports fan, the coach, and the leader.. The Captain Class is many different genres trying to fit into one book. On the one hand it is a serious and sober examination of sports dynasties and how they come to be. This is of course an impossible task undertake, but Sam Walker takes a very logical and serious look at the topic. It is also a primer for what makes something like a sports dynasty come alive and . Thoroughly researched and well written from start to finish. A. W. Thoroughly researched and well written from start to finish. The proof of how having a "true believer" as a team captain can be so important to team success has a definite tie to many real life circumstances beyond the sports world, and that makes this this book a fascinating and informative read.. Insightful, fun, moving and unforgettable Booklover This terrific book will appeal to anybody interested in team leadership. If there can ever be proof of what makes a good captain, this book provides it. What I particularly enjoyed and appreciated were the stories of the captains of three all-time champion women's teams. From three different countries, three different sports, these remarkable women were a joy to get