THERE IS NO REFEREE IN a pickup basketball game. Players abide by a common understanding of the rules of the game, which keeps it from turning into rugby. Every player presses their advantage, but when there is an obvious foul, the injured party speaks up, the person who committed the foul fesses up, and an accommodation is made. Play ball. The interruption is so short that the players’ sweat barely has time to cool. The commitment to individual success and team success does not override the broader spirit that is necessary for the game to be played. This is also how the founders conceived of
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