Sports culture is often times more complex than one is lead to believe.

 The drive to earn the highly esteemed title of captain creates a sense of leadership and

responsibility among players.

  What exactly constitutes a captain is often hotly debated. Whether it be skill, leadership, responsibility, or dependability is something to be determined by individual teams and coaches.

  Recently, there has been a trend of choosing captains not only based on skill, but on the quality of their leadership on and off the field.

  Another aspect is seniority vs being qualified. Due to the fact that there are rarely ever juniors that are captains, there is an unspoken rule that captains are seniors.

  Jeff Evans, coach of the Granite Bay High School varsity football team, explains that players who demonstrate leadership are preferred to be captain over a player with skill.

  “We are looking for those mentally tough individuals that understand that leading is a full time job and commit to that lifestyle.” Evans said. Putting a premium on hard work rather than talent alone has been a long .

  “We are not very interested in the ‘great player’ that does not value or respect their education and the people around them.  We have no time for those individuals.” Evans said.

  Furthermore, seniority is not the deciding factor when considering captains on the football team.

  “Juniors are most definitely considered.” Evans said.

  Football in particular, has different variations of captains, two chosen by outgoing seniors, one chosen by the coaches, one decided by the school staff, one voted on by the weight training class and one is chosen by the upcoming senior class.

  Due the wide variety of people in the decision making process, the total six seniors are expected to be representative of the team as a whole.

  Senior Joseph Young made clear the duties he faces as a captain.

  “There are no off days. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard than everyone else. You have to make sure everyone is giving their all and no one is bringing the team down. “ Young said.

  The overarching premise that captains are meant to be leaders and demonstrate responsibility is common among different sports.

  Senior Peyton Mitcheom, captain of the GBHS girls basketball team, explains the duties she is expected to perform.

  “I led the warm ups and some drills during practice. I also had to make sure the team had enough energy before the game and during practice,” said Mitcheom.

  Being held to a higher standard comes with taking a leadership position on a team.

   “One of the hardest parts that I didn’t anticipate was having to deal with some drama throughout the year and find solutions.” Mitcheom said.

  However, the importance of seniority is not agreed upon, however, across different sports.

  As a captain, Mitcheom emphasizes the value and responsibility of seniority.

  “I do think [seniority] is important because you are respected but you also have to be really invested in the sport in order to be captain,” Mitcheom said.