Michael_Sullivan comments on The Two-Party Swindle - Less Wrong
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But the service provided only exists in the first place because of team thinking, and you have to take a step back to see that.
This statement is too bold, in my opinion. I think that's a large portion of the service, but not all of it. I watch some sports purely because I enjoy watching them performed at a high level. I don't particularly care who wins in many cases. This makes me weird, I realize, but the fact is that college and professional sports players create entertainment value for me, comparable to that of actors or musicians. Value which I am happy to pay for (though not generally at the prices and quantities expected of the most dedicated fans), despite me not really knowing who I am "rooting" for in many of the games I watch.
Consider that two sports that are big money even though the interest in "sides" and rivalries is much smaller than in football (of any kind) or basketball: tennis and golf. Sure, there are tiger woods fans and phil mickelson fans, but I think more people are generally "golf" fans with mostly minor sympathies toward one or another player, akin to those I have for basketball or baseball teams whose style I happen to like.