Sunday, November 05, 2023

The We in I

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.

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