Steven Caldwell no longer wears the captain’s armband for Toronto FC, but that doesn’t make him any less of a leader.
Caldwell served as the Reds’ captain since July of 2013, taking over from Darren O’Dea, and he wore the armband with pride. Being captain meant a great deal to Caldwell, so when TFC decided earlier this week to take the armband away from him and give it to Michael Bradley, the Scottish defender was justifiably disappointed.
“I’m a little bit upset how it’s been handled,” Caldwell admitted, later adding that, “I probably deserved a little bit more respect in the way it was done. We all knew it was coming and it should’ve been dealt with quicker and in a more precise manner. It dragged on.”
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Probably? There’s no probably about it. If that sounds like sour grapes from Caldwell, it’s not. Make no mistake about it: TFC’s handling of this was shameful and shoddy.
Coach Greg Vanney told reporters on the first day of training camp last month that he planned to sit down with his players in the ensuing weeks before making a decision as to who’d wear the captain’s armband for the 2015 MLS season.
But let’s be honest, we could all see the writing on the wall—this is Bradley’s team and it was a fait compli that he’d become the new captain. With this in mind, TFC should have dealt with this privately in the off-season, instead of making a public spectacle of the issue on the first day of training camp.
The way TFC dealt with this entire situation was unfair to Caldwell. He deserved much better. He certainly didn’t deserve to be embarrassed in public like this.
But to the Scotsman’s great credit, he acted in a true professional manner when facing questions from the media after Wednesday’s practice, insisting that he’s put the matter behind him.
“It’s over and done with now. By no means is it playing on my mind. It’s finished,” Caldwell plainly said.
There was no whining on Caldwell’s part. No sulking or pouting. No subtly veiled jabs at management. There was just a blunt but simple admission that things should have been handled better and that he felt disrespected, and he stressed now he’s moving on.
But the “money” quote from Caldwell was when he profoundly declared that, “At the end of the day, people don’t follow armbands—they follow leaders.”
Translation: You don’t need to be a captain to be a team leader.
Perhaps without even meaning to do it, Caldwell raised an important issue: Do captains matter in pro sports?
Ask anybody who’s ever worn the captain’s armband and they’ll tell you it means a great deal. That’s fair enough. But Caldwell’s comments suggest that it might not be as important as so many seem to think.
Former goalkeeper Craig Forrest is one of the greatest players Canada has ever produced—he played at the highest level for club (starring in the Premier League for Ipswich Town and West Ham United) and for country (helping Canada win the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup). He’s not convinced you need captains.
“I respected every captain I ever had, but if I’m being honest I’m not convinced they serve a useful purpose in football,” Forrest admitted.
“I had teammates who were great leaders but were never made captain. Why designate one guy as being captain? If being captain is about leadership on the pitch and in the locker-room, then surely you want 11 captains—not just one guy.”
Captains, though, do much more than provide leadership during games. They’re also expected to assist their teammates off the field, helping them settle in and offering them guidance with any living, family and personal issues that arise.
But again, Forrest points out why officially designate one guy as being solely responsible for that?
“All the players on the team should be invested in helping their teammates. All of them. It should be everyone’s responsibility,” Forrest offered.
It’s interesting to note that the “captaincy culture” that envelops soccer and hockey isn’t nearly as prominent in other sports. While some Major League Baseball teams have designated team captains, most don’t—including the San Francisco Giants, last year’s World Series winners. The San Antonio Spurs (the reigning NBA champions) have three captains, but little if any attention is paid to the captain question in basketball.
“The captain issue isn’t a big thing in the NBA like it is the NHL or soccer,” explained Dave Zarum, a basketball reporter for Sportsnet.
Having a captain in soccer makes sense in that only one player—theoretically—is allowed to speak to the officials about contentious calls during the course of a match.
But as Forrest said, teams should aspire to have a team full of captains and team leaders—and not just one guy—both on and off the field.
As for Caldwell, he was a model professional for TFC while serving as captain. That won’t change now that the armband has been passed on to Bradley.
“I love this club and I love this city. I feel like I gave my all as captain, and I’ll continue to do that,” Caldwell stated.
John Molinaro is Sportsnet’s chief soccer reporter. Follow him on Twitter.