Recently, three other guys and I showed up for what was supposed to be draft night in our fantasy basketball league of 12 teams. Due to some last-minute glitches, we had to delay the draft for a week, but we spent a couple hours together anyway.
The three of them are in their 40s, married with kids, gainfully employed, homeowners, and sports fans.
Just like me, three decades removed.
As they sipped beers, we discussed the settings for our upcoming season. There are options, as determined by Yahoo, and they are way too many. complex and arcane to get into here.
But suffice it to say, they were sufficiently engrossing to keep us occupied over those couple of hours as each of us tried to balance what would be best for the overall league (12 managers) with what we perceived might be best for our own self-interest.
In this way, one-third of the managers were setting the course for the entire league.
It struck me afterward that this exercise is very much like the American experiment with democracy. When each person votes, they have to weigh what is best for the whole against what may be most advantageous for themselves.
But in many elections, fewer than half of the eligible voters actually cast a ballot.
Those who participate are embracing their rights and planting their stake. Those who don’t show up often end up unsatisfied.
Politically, much rhetoric gets expressed over time on this dilemma, so it is relaxing sometimes to explore it in the relatively safe space of fantasy sports.
Meanwhile, I just checked, and so far in our fantasy season, playing by the rules we set that night, three of the four of us are among the top five in the league. (I’m the fourth.)
What is that old saw — use it or lose it? Of course, even when you use it you may lose anyway.
That’s partly the deal with democracy. It’s definitely the deal with fantasy sports.
HEADLINES:
Israel-Hamas war rages as outcry grows over Gaza crisis (CNN)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority president during West Bank trip (CBS)
U.S., Arab leaders to meet as Palestinian deaths mount (Reuters)
‘No place that is safe in Gaza right now,’ UN says; Israeli protestors call on Netanyahu to resign (CNBC)
Israeli operations uprooted Palestinians in 1948. Many fear a repeat. (WP)
Netanyahu resists pressure for ‘humanitarian pauses’ after Blinken meeting (Al Jazeera)
Earthquake in Western Nepal Kills More Than 150 (NYT)
US officials are concerned that Ukraine is running out of troops and have hinted at peace talks with Russia, report says (Insider)
Ukrainian troops battle exhaustion (Reuters)
Muslim Americans helped Biden win Michigan in 2020. Now, his Israel-Gaza response is throwing their support into question (CNN)
A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short (NYT)
Cats use nearly 300 unique facial expressions to communicate, new study shows (USA Today)
AI is not the problem, prime minister – but the corporations that control it are (Guardian)
How engineering leaders can use AI to optimize performance (TC)
Conservative Relative’s Description Of Chicago Clearly Came Directly From Dante’s ‘Inferno’ (The Onion)
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