A successful team captain isn’t necessarily a great role model.

There are two activities in which society seems to think it’s acceptable for people to hurt one another for victory: war and sports.

However, in both cases, the people involved will be heavily scrutinized over the methods they use.

Sports fans have a specific – and often misguided – set of expectations for how a team captain should behave. They generally prefer when their team’s captain is a shining example of prim and proper behavior, the kind of player that can serve as a role model for every fan. And heaven forbid they fail to meet these expectations.

When David Beckham was captain of England’s football team in the 2000s, he was subject to relentless criticism about his haircut, which was deemed to be unmasculine, as were the tears he shed after a tough loss.

Displaying the “appropriate” qualities can be more important to fans than a winning record.

Take Derek Jeter, for example, who became the captain of the New York Yankees in 2003. Calm, consistent and a solid family man, Jeter was always admired by his fans, even though his time as captain resulted in very few trophies.

What fans sometimes miss is the fact that players who are always on their best behavior don’t necessarily make the best captains. Instead, great teams are led by players who aren’t afraid to bend the rules or risk being unpopular.

During a 2015 Rugby World Cup match, the captain of New Zealand’s All Blacks team was Richie McCaw, a player who gave everything he had to help his team win. During one match, McCaw found himself flat on the ground, while a player from the opposing team had the ball and an open field in front of him.

McCaw did the only thing he could and tripped up the player, drawing a penalty and many vicious boos from the crowd – but also preventing the opposing team from scoring a try.

Even so, it was clear to his team that McCaw was relentless in his drive to win, and his team won the match in the end, which was far more important than pleasing the crowd. That’s the sign of a great captain.