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A team is a sacred thing. Ask anyone from any squad and they’ll tell you—it’s about the collective, not the individual. 

The concept of team is one of the reasons why playing sports is so fundamental. I love the lessons team teaches so much that I built an entire podcast on the subject! (At this point I’m contractually obligated to ask you to subscribe, like and comment!!)

When most people see the Savannah Bananas play on the field, they notice the bright yellow tuxedo, the elaborate stunts, and the frenzied crowds during the game. 

But if you look closer, you can see one of the greatest lessons in business playing out, too. 

Four years ago, I received a text from the Bananas founder Jesse Cole asking if I wanted to be part of the fun show. Jesse asked if I wanted to throw out the first pitch before a game. 

At the time, the Bananas were playing in a small 5,000-person stadium in Savannah, Georgia and while I wanted to throw the pitch, it just never worked out with our schedules. 

Until this past Saturday night. 

They may have taken different paths to get there, but the result is the same—a gold medal win and a star goalie who’ll never have to a buy a drink in his hometown again. 

In 1980, the U.S. Men’s Hockey team produced the miracle on ice. That’s when a collection of college kids went up against a Soviet powerhouse and beat them on their way to winning gold. 

In the years since, though, no American men’s hockey team has been able to win Olympic gold. 

Until now. 

When the scores came in, I was shocked. 

Like everyone else watching the event, I believed the American figure skating team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates had done all they needed to secure gold on February 11.