Intangibles

April 13, 2020
Sports analytics may have turned “team chemistry” into a nostalgic relic, argues sportswriter Ryan (Little Girls in Pretty Boxes), but as he shows in this fascinating mix of reportage and clinical research, it has great value for a team’s success. Ryan explores the psychiatry undergirding team chemistry (“Everything about another person is contagious,” a psychiatrist tells Ryan), as well as the physiology behind it (the hormone oxytocin is released when people show trust in another, prompting the recipient to be trustworthy and generous in return). The sheer belief that a team performs better with a certain player can actually improve performance, Ryan writes, citing the 2013 Red Sox’s love of utility outfielder Jonny Gomes, a mid-level player who’s dedication inspired the World Series-winning team. Ryan identifies seven archetypes that can lead to a team’s success (among them “The Warrior” and “The Jester”), and real-life players who embody the qualities of each, including “Super-Carrier” Gomes, who possessed a blue-collar toughness and an earnest desire to improve his play. However, Ryan notes, games are still played by people who need to be fully invested and fine-tuned: “There are so many interdependent parts that a change in one can cause a web-like cascade of changes throughout the whole system.” Ryan’s cogent, persuasive effort will give sports fans much food for thought.

April 1, 2020
An Onion headline atop one of its basketball-game summaries reads: Great Team Chemistry No Match For Great Team Biology, which veteran sportswriter Ryan cites to reflect the argument that team chemistry is bunk. That argument is no match, though, for the mountain of evidence Ryan presents through interviews with behavioral scientists, athletes, coaches, managers, even military leaders that team chemistry does matter, a lot. Baseball, in particular the 1989 NL Champion Giants, is her focus, but her coverage extends to other sports and even the battlefield. It's nuanced, too, as in her assertion that players, like slugger Barry Bonds, who appear as cancers to the outside world are really not to their team. And it's complex, as in the range of archetypes?the sparkplug, the sage, the kid, the enforcer, the buddy, the warrior, the jester?needed in just the right measure to make a team work best. Then there's the "super-carrier," like the WNBA's Sue Bird or MLB's Jonny Gomes, who supercharge any team they play for. All of this makes for a mind-opening study that extends far beyond the confines of any ballpark.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

In sports, each team enters the season with one goal in mind: to win a championship. For the teams that ultimately win the championship, there are many factors that lead to winning, one of which is undoubtedly team chemistry. Ryan, author of the best-selling sports book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, explores the science behind team chemistry and how that factors into a team's success. Ryan spent almost ten years researching this book, which is evident from the in-depth scientific interviews and evidence and examples she provides. The two teams she focuses on are the San Francisco Giants team that won multiple World Series titles and the 1996 Olympic Women's Basketball team coached by Tara VanDerveer. Fans of these teams in particular will find this book particularly interesting. At times, the amount of psychological research incorporated may overwhelm casual sports fans. However, this is a beneficial book in the sports landscape as few titles explore the science behind team chemistry. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in sports psychology, as well fan of the San Francisco Giants and the women's basketball.--Pamela Calfo, Bridgeville P.L., PA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Sportswriter Joan Ryan is a first-time narrator, and she makes a fine debut in this thoughtful look at whether team chemistry is a real phenomenon or simply a myth. Can a bond between players really turn a merely good team into a champion? Ryan explores this idea with a healthy mix of scientific rigor and entertaining anecdotes, consulting both scientists and athletes. Her narrative focuses on the San Francisco Giants, a team she's covered as a reporter, and her interviews with former players Jonny Gomes (a poster boy for team chemistry) and Barry Bonds (the polar opposite) are nuanced and revealing. She occasionally chuckles at her own jokes, but this comes across as endearing and adds warmth to a polished reading. D.B. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine