Sports isn’t about the athleticism — it’s about the emotions
Sports pretend to be about skill. But they’re theater — arenas for bluffing, feints, and public wagers of reputation.
In this chart, moving up or down (more or less skill) barely changes the drama.
Move sideways into the emotional quadrants (on left), though, and the drama explodes.
That’s because the heart of sport isn’t mechanics — it’s the live exchange of swagger, shame, and story.