The games we play, the games that command our everyday attention, do so for reasons we often fail to see. Baseball and football are our national fictions for the simple reason that they’re accurate representations of truth about the life we live. A runner on second must advance to third before he can score, even though the fastest way home is a diagonal through the heart of the diamond over the pitcher’s mound. The most direct route from the line of scrimmage to the end zone is straight ahead, but it’s a rare touchdown that’s made that way; there are too many would-be tacklers between the ball
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