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As a fan of professional sports, the antics of millionaire athletes never cease to amaze me. It seems that I can't get through a single airing of SportsCenter or any other sports-based news program without being treated to some feud or other between teammates, former teammates, or players and coaches. If you want a couple of recent examples, just think back to the whole Terrell Owens, Andy Reid, and Philadelphia Eagles ordeal that plagued that organization last season. For a more current example, you need only read up about the name-calling between ex-White Sox veteran Frank Thomas and current General Manager Kenny Williams.

While some fans might consider these feuds to be entertaining or interesting, I think they're very destructive to team morale. Not only are these types of stories always making headlines in the newspapers and magazines, but they also tend to slowly involve other players on the team. That's because reporters can't seem to refrain from asking other players and coaches what they think about so-and-so's ongoing feud.

Think back to the Owens saga once again. How many other Eagles players were asked to comment on that situation? When it happens often enough, an off-field situation can take over and define the team's entire season. Therefore, was anyone really surprised to see the Eagles go 6-10 and finish in last place in the NFC East? I think that would have happened even if quarterback Donovan McNabb's season hadn't ended early due to injury. From the moment Owens had trouble in training camp and was filmed shooting hoops at his home instead of working out with his teammates, the Eagles' season was doomed.

That's because unity is such a huge part of team sports. I firmly believe that no matter how talented the individuals on a team are, they won't experience success unless (or until) they learn to play together. And on the flipside of that statement, I think that teams made up of less talented individuals (the underdogs) can often come through when least expected provided that they have learned to play together as a single unit.

The 1987 Minnesota Twins provide a good example of that last principle. In that year, the Twins finished the regular season with a pretty average record of 85-77 to win the AL West and advance to the playoffs. Just to give you an idea of how that 85-77 record compares to other teams, the Detroit Tigers won the AL East with a record of 98-64, the St. Louis Cardinals won the NL East with a record of 95-67, and the San Francisco Giants won the NL West with a record of 90-72. This was way before the Wild Card system was implemented in baseball, so obviously if the Twins had been playing in any other division, they wouldn't have advanced to the postseason.

The Twins, made up of a few marquee players like Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbeck, and Bert Blyleven, but consisting mostly of names that not many of today's fans would recognize, were able to turn their great team chemistry and unity into a World Series championship by completing a memorable run through the playoffs. They ended by defeating a St. Louis Cardinals team featuring Ozzie Smith, Jack Clark, Tony Pena, Willie McGee, John Tudor, and Vince Coleman by a score of 10-6 in Game 7 of that exciting series. By doing so, the Twins earned the dubious distinction of becoming the World Series Champion with the worst regular-season win percentage (.524) as well as the champion with the worst win percentage on the road during the regular season (.358).

Another example of how team unity is often more important than sheer talent alone can be found by examining the gold medal-winning efforts of the U.S. men's hockey team in the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Back then, the United States was committed to using only amateur players in the Olympics, while other countries routinely sent professionals. This was definitely the case with hockey. Coach Herb Brooks selected a team of the best college hockey players in the country, and was determined to take them all the way to gold.

In a stark contrast to how the recent Turin Olympics unfolded, the U.S. team of 1980 had more than a year to practice together and get to know each other. During the course of that year, the players learned each other's strengths and weaknesses and developed their trust in each other. These factors would be important in order to have any chance at winning the gold.

When most people think back to the 1980 Olympics and U.S. hockey, the phrase "Miracle on Ice" immediately comes to mind. What a lot of people don't realize, however, is that the "miraculous" win over the superpower Soviet team comprised of professionals was not actually the gold medal game. That win just helped the American cause by paving the way for the final win against Finland. Regardless, the lesson that team unity is often more important than sheer talent was clearly displayed at the 1980 Olympics.

As you can see, team unity is something that shouldn't be underestimated when calculating an organization's chances at winning a championship. If you want to gauge how well your favorite team can be expected to do during the regular season and playoffs, just take a look at how well they get along together both on and off the field. Oftentimes, you'll get your answer right there.