Although coaches generally look for talent, the success of a team is based on talent, teamwork, or both.

Tryouts. This is the time when athletes begin to worry; are they really good enough? Coaches spend the majority of tryouts picking out the “best” players for their team: the fastest, the strongest, the fiercest. But tryouts can be just as stressful for the coaches as for the players; they are, a lot of times, trying to get the best players they can. However, a cohesive effort of teamwork, skill, or both is what makes a team successful.
Golf is a sport that, at first glance, can seem to be centered around the success of an individual. However, they aren’t born with amazing golfing talents. The golf coach is there to critique and congratulate, but during games, they can’t physically assist a player to better their performance. So, at practice, it is up to the coach and the teammates to help improve each other’s abilities. Rory McIlroy, 2012 Professional Golfer’s Association of American (PGA) champion, wasn’t successful by relying on his coach to win the championship for him. He relied on instruction from his coach during practices to improve his skill level; this is what made him successful at the championship tournament.
Swimming requires hard work as a team and hard work as a player. Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, has earned 22 olympic medals throughout his career. These weren’t won from races by himself, they were also won from relays. He is a strong swimmer on his own which helps his team improve as well.
Soccer is also a sport based on not only a team effort, but also individual skills. There are eleven players on the field representing each team at one time. If ten of those players are strong in their abilities and the eleventh is a little weaker than the rest, the other players can make up for the one by working together as a team and adjusting. Having skilled players is important to overall improve the team, but those skilled players can’t play the whole game by themselves. Working to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates is how a team can go from being eleven individual players to one team as a whole. With teamwork comes communication and a subconscious relationship with your teammates while playing. If Hope Solo, goalie for the United States Women’s Soccer team, doesn’t communicate with her defenders, they won’t know how to help her protect the goal and send it back up-field.
Another example of the success from team chemistry is the 2012 Baltimore Ravens. After Ray Lewis announced his retirement, the team began to rally around this to make the season a good one.
The success of any athletic sport is based on either team chemistry, or individual talent of the player; some even require both. The understanding of the necessity of the two is what makes a team successful.