We all know that peer pressure is a powerful source of your decisions as a kid and even when you grow up, peer pressure can still affect decision making. Now, Shane Battier is claiming that Peer Pressure is the most powerful force on a sports team. On Friday morning in a panel at MIT discussing analytics in sports, along with Mike D’Antoni, WNBA star Sue Bird, and Celtics executive Mike Zarren, Shane Battier said that peer pressure is the most important force.
According to Sean Highkin of ProBasketballSports, Battier claimed:
“Peer-to-peer pressure is the most powerful force on a sports team,” Battier said. “All the great organizations have it. The peer pressure of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili is more important than anything Gregg Popovich could say.”
Coaching is essential for the overall success of the team, and I’m sure Shane Battier can attest to that. But I think what he was trying to get at is that, the influences of your peers can make or break the success of your team, coaching doesn’t necessarily have to. Let’s look at some examples. J.R Smith? Ron Artest? These guys were guys with tons of potential and skill but when it came down to it, their peer influences made them less effective on the teams, especially with Smith’s recent stint with the New York Knicks. Now a revitalized J.R in Cleveland, surrounded by veterans who want to win like LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, and Kendrick Perkins, J.R wants to win and get better.
I personally approve of Shane Battier’s statement, because without peer pressure, how are the San Antonio Spurs still winning games? They are all dependent on each other and are all held responsible for their play.
