The persistence of narrative I’m not much of a sports fan, but I’ve gradually come to respect sports and sports fans in a way that would have surprised my younger self. Here’s a marvelous piece (via Junius) that does a good job of explaining.

What the anti-sport people don’t see is that the drama of sport flows from the compelling sub-plots that surround the game. One of the defining moments of history was when Ali knocked over Foreman, not for the quality of the punch but for the triumph of artistry, wit and rebellion. When Viv Richards scored 291 at the Oval it mattered because the white South African England captain had said he would make the West Indies “grovel”. When Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the last black it was a rare 1980s defeat for someone who not only was a Conservative but played like a Conservative, without even the pretence that some of his points would trickle down to the poorer players. And today’s match is all about the sub-plots, the Hand of God, Beckham’s sending-off and the busted foot. You can no more appreciate the game without being aware of all this than you could make sense of Casablanca by watching only the last 10 minutes.

[09:58 AM]