And yet, sports has a sweeter story to tell. Sports has a magical effect on the human psyche. It transforms our primitive instincts towards the "other." Where we once had enemies, we now have rivals. An enemy is someone you kill, once. A rival is someone you play, again and again. Sports is a giant step up on the Darwinian ladder.
If we must gather into tribes and compete, what better way than sports? Is it not a blessed evolution, from war and blood to bats and balls?
Maybe it comes down to this. It's either "Root, root, root for the home team," or "Bombs away." Wrigley Field or Flanders Fields. Take your pick.
I made mine half a century ago. There is an important election coming next year and I won't shirk my duty. But the day I have circled on my 2014 calendar isn't election day. It's Opening Day.
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