Nancy's Notes
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Teamwork: Working Together on a Common Goal
Posted by Nancy Burnett on January 20, 2026
I’m not much of a sports fan. I don’t understand football—it’s just too violent for me—and the Super Bowl interests me only for the halftime show and the food. Soccer seems exhausting; cricket and lacrosse are a mystery. I like going to hockey games, and tennis and croquet were favorites in my youth. I also like baseball, probably because my kids played it and it’s my grandson’s favorite sport. I follow the Olympics totally—both summer and winter. Mostly I think I just like the idea of teams and teamwork. Even a bench-clearing brawl makes me smile as I realize teammates in unison are expressing outrage for an infraction of the rules or civility. I like the idea that even the poorest player on a team can join in the celebration of a win. I am the one who sits on the sidelines and, after a loss, assures the losing players that it was a good game and they tried their best.
The idea of teamwork—working together on a common goal—applies not only to sports but to the business and nonprofit worlds as well. An ideal team consists of players who bring differing skills to the table. The Talmud resonates with different ideas and arguments. Just as Hillel and Shamai and their followers argued vociferously, we too find ourselves in a world increasingly divided but with certain moral red lines that cannot be compromised.
The “team” with which we surround ourselves in life is similarly made up of different individuals with different skills and ideas and personalities. We need to learn to respect others’ rights to their opinions even though we vehemently disagree. Even families serve as teams. We argue, we disagree, and yet we are bound together inseparably by genetics, heritage, or shared experiences.
As we progress through the revolving sports year, always with the mantra, “There’s always next year,” let’s remember that we are always a part of Team Humanity. Let’s keep that hope in our hearts that we did our best to make it a better world, and next year we’ll continue to improve and make it a good year for all of our “teams.”
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