IN SEARCH OF GREATNESS: Unpacking The Secrets To Sporting Success

Lots of children grow up playing sports and dreaming of championship trophies, but how many of them actually end up being able to go pro? And of those few, how many have that extra-special something that makes them rise head and shoulders above the rest, to be remembered not just as good, but as great? To become an elite athlete, you need more than just incredible talent, more than just the ability to work harder and longer than your peers — you also need the ability to think differently, and the desire to go outside the box in search of victory.

In Search of Greatness, the latest documentary from filmmaker Gabe Polsky (Red Army), explores the role that creativity plays in setting some of the greatest athletes of all time apart from the rest. The film interviews three undeniable stars from three very different sports — Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice, and Pele — and examines the commonalities to be found across their individual recipes for success. Interspersing compelling interview segments with case studies focused on other athletes across a wide spectrum of sports, In Search of Greatness shows us that by focusing purely on physical ability and structured training, as so many do, we’re overlooking the other, equally crucial factors in sporting greatness.

Taking Lessons from Legends

Jerry Rice is regarded by many to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, but he acknowledges that he wasn’t the most physically impressive young talent at the NFL combine the year he was drafted. What helped set Rice apart from the rest of the pack was his ability to think about the game differently than the rest, to see the next play coming before everyone else. And yet, Rice didn’t even start playing football until his sophomore year in high school because his mother thought it was too violent.

So, how did he not only catch up with but surpass his peers in the sport? As Rice tells us during In Search of Greatness, his passion for the game meant he never stopped thinking about it. One particularly intriguing nugget shared by Rice is how, before bed, he would sit tossing a football from one hand to the other in the dark. By doing so, he was able to teach himself how to make catching the football second nature, something he wouldn’t even need to see in order to do successfully.

Gretzky’s stories of being a young hockey player are similar. No one ever had to force him to practice, because he always wanted to; because of that, he never developed the negative feelings about playing sports that so many children under extreme parental pressure often do. His desire to play hockey to the best of his ability meant that he sat down every Saturday to watch Hockey Night in Canada with a pen and paper in hand, sketching the path of the puck without even looking, teaching himself every possible play by absorbing as much as possible. Not the biggest or fastest player on the ice, Gretzky exploited the lack of coverage behind the opposition goalie’s net to develop his signature move — sneaking behind the net and using a wraparound shot to score.

For Pele, growing up in a country that lived and breathed soccer ensured that he was never without a ball at his feet. At one point, he played in an indoor league, and while that presented challenges, overcoming those helped Pele improve his game. The indoor fields were smaller and the ball moved faster, meaning that you had to think quickly once the ball was at your feet. Figuring out how to approach these issues helped Pele hone the creative impulses that made him go down in history as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. In addition, his father was also a great soccer player, meaning that Pele benefited from his practical knowledge and mentorship. Not only that, but he also had the added motivation to become even better than his father ever was.

Becoming the Best

As Rice, Gretzky, and Pele all echo throughout In Search of Greatness, it was more than just the ability to think differently — and the freedom to do so — that contributed to their success. Having good mentors, including coaches who allowed them to occasionally disagree with them for the sake of exploiting their unique ideas, was crucial. Being able to play numerous sports growing up, instead of being forced to specialize at an early age, taught them skills that complemented their games; Gretzky credits his years playing both baseball and lacrosse with helping him refine his hockey technique. For unlikely and unique stars to emerge, we have to be willing to look past unconventional physicality and not be blinded by big muscles, as Pele tells us when explaining the genius of Garrincha, a young man whose knees bent differently but became one of the most brilliant Brazilian players of all time regardless.

In Search of Greatness backs up the points expressed by its three main subjects with evidence provided by creativity experts as well as case studies of other sporting legends: from John McEnroe’s fiery competitiveness giving him an extra edge, to Tom Brady’s unimpressive combine being a nonentity when it came to his true talent, to the Williams sisters’ sibling rivalry functioning as healthy motivation for Serena. A lot of scholars of the sporting world will be familiar with many of the points made, but even if you’re already aware of the importance of, say, not pressuring kids to win at the cost of their sanity, or giving them the freedom to come up with their own plays, it is still strangely reassuring to hear that point made by someone like Wayne Gretzky.

For the most part, In Search of Greatness is a straightforward documentary, full of talking heads and archival footage. Yet what the film lacks in exciting and creative filmmaking (ironic, eh?), it makes up for in truly fascinating content. Anyone who has ever played or even just watched sports should find something eye-opening in Polsky’s latest.

In Search of Greatness: Conclusion

By relying on the best possible ambassadors to convey its message, In Search of Greatness provides an intriguing look at sporting excellence that should hopefully inspire the next generation to break free from the overly structured thinking that threatens to hold them back.

What do you think? Does In Search of Greatness sound like an engaging sports documentary? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch In Search of Greatness