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Sports are important.
They are a constructed environment that is artificially fair, in a way that doesn't exist in the real world; everyone steps onto the same field and abides by the same rules. Within that context, they become a celebration of the best aspects of human nature - perseverance, strategy, self-sacrifice, honor, determination.
You can't understand the importance of sports until you've seen a mathematically eliminated baseball team in the middle of a sweltering August day game, and the middle infielder still runs flat out and dives to catch a fly ball. There is something in that action that is importantly human, and it fitting that we respect and celebrate it.
Physical ability is an exciting part of the game, but those moments where I think sports are at their best, it's when the physical underdog wins out by virtue of their heart and determination. At those times, we see something of the people we would like to be played out by those playing on the field.
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