Esprit de corps is a French phrase meaning positive team spirit, often used to describe military groups but can apply to any united group. It is essential in military units and organized sports, as it promotes camaraderie and purpose, and helps individuals overcome differences.
Esprit de corps (pronounced es-pree deh core) translates from French as esprit de corps. It is synonymous with words like morale, camaraderie, and purpose. Normally, this phrase only translates as positive team spirit. In its narrowest sense, it applied only to military groups, which together form a sense of purpose and camaraderie. Yet it is also often used in common parlance to refer to any group that appears united and protective of its members.
Many different groups, such as children in a schoolroom, a troop of scouts, a parents’ club, a political organization or thousands of others can be said to be united by the esprit de corps. Where it does not exist, disorganization can prevail.
An example of esprit de corps can be found regularly on television shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The host and her team rally communities to help deserving families in need of a home. Most shows feature many community members who are happy to show their sense of genuine belonging to a community by helping others. That sense of purpose can make a world of difference.
In military units, esprit de corps is essential, as soldiers who feel like part of a team are more likely to protect one another. A demoralized unit is one that lacks morale, and it is by maintaining team spirit that soldiers are able to survive the rigors and horrors of battle and risk life and limb. This is why military groups are often divided into units, usually groups of people who have trained together and will fight together if the need arises. By establishing close bonds between soldiers working in an army, a sense of camaraderie is always hoped to develop.
A good example of the need for esprit de corps in organized sports is the moving film Remember the Titans, a biopic about a southern high school football team that for the first time integrated black and white players. The coach’s goal is to help his players overcome their differences and accept each other so that a sense of purpose and positive feelings help the team. They also have to accept him, an African American, as team leader, which was challenging given the prevailing opinions at the time.
A particularly powerful moment in the film is Coach Boone’s impassioned speech on the ground where the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. His words, “Unless we unite on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed,” express his strong desire for the team to develop the esprit de corps needed in a racially divided world and in the competitive sport of soccer. .
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