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In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In either case, it is a position that indicates honor and respect from one's teammates – recognition as a leader by one's peers. In
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In either case, it is a position that indicates honor and respect from one's teammates – recognition as a leader by one's peers. In association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
and cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
, a captain is also known as a skipper.
Various sports have differing roles and responsibilities for team captains. Depending on the sport, team captains may be given the responsibility of interacting with game officials regarding application and interpretation of the rules. In many team sports, the captains represent their respective teams when the match official does the coin toss
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...
at the beginning of the game.
The team captain, in some sports, is selected by the team coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
, who may consider factors ranging from playing ability to leadership to serving as a good moral example to the team. Coaches may also choose to change team captains from time to time, or to have a rotation of team captains.
Some of the greatest captains in history are the ones with the most subtle of traits that are required for success. From Sam Walker in his book ''The Captain Class'' he states that a captain is "the most important factor for a team's success".
Responsibilities of a captain
The responsibilities of a captain vary from sport to sport, but overall help determine the game. In sports like cricket or volleyball, the decision for the two teams to be on either defence or offence is determined with a coin toss and a decision made by the captains. This decision is crucial for the captain because they will decide the beginning of the game and quite possibly how it all plays out. A captain is also the first one a referee looks to while explaining the results of a play or giving a foul, or flag. Oftentimes a referee will not discuss these matters with any other player than a captain or a coach. This is important because the reaction of the captain may or may not determine how the referee will proceed. A captain must stay calm and cool headed when talking with a referee to ensure the most accurate determinants of the game. Depending on the sport, a captain will have different responsibilities. For example, a captain of a basketball team must be the one to conduct the offense and be one the most verbal on defense. In the NBA a captain will be the one to talk during interviews and also be the first one to be looked at after a poor performance. In basketball the captain can be substituted out of the game and there does not need to be an active captain on the court at all times, but in soccer a captain must be on the field at all times. Usually the "Captain Band" will be passed to a player with similar seniority to the team when the captain is substituted out of the game. Although these most responsibilities throughout different sports vary, most responsibilities stay the same. When a teams performance is poor, one of the first individuals fans, analysts, and other teams look at are the captains of that specific team.See also
Captains of specific sports
*Captain (association football)
The team captain of an association football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavi ...
*Captain (Australian rules football)
A captain of an Australian rules football team, sometimes known as a ''skipper'', is a player who, during the course of a match and off the field, has several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player.
As ...
* Captain (baseball)
*Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team, often referred to as the skipper, is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the other players. As in other sports, the captain is usually experienced an ...
*Captain (Gaelic games)
A captain of a Gaelic games team, sometimes known as a ''skipper'', is a player who, during the course of a match as well as before and after it, has several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of his teammates.
Tradi ...
*Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one capta ...
* Captain (National Football League)
* Captain (rugby league)
*Skip (curling)
In the sport of curling, the skip is the captain of a team. The skip determines strategy, and holds the broom in the ''house'' (target area) to indicate where a teammate at the other end of the curling ''sheet'' (playing area) should aim the st ...
Other links
*Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager (commonly referred to as the manager) is the equivalent of a head coach who is responsible for overseeing and making final decisions on all aspects of on-field team strategy, lineup selection, training and instruct ...
* Player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
References
{{Authority control Terminology used in multiple sports Captain (aa)