"Must-Win" Spoils Sport. You Need the Jeopardy of Win/Loss, But Sport Transcends Results

What can we get out of the process if we don’t win?

Football is clearly getting less fair. The integrity of the game has never been more in doubt, with financial doping, sportswashing and rule-breaking. Legitimately-run clubs are being squeezed out of the higher echelons. What can we get out of the process if we don’t win?

If we cannot enjoy things, why bother?

The first rule of dissatisfaction as a football fan is if you want success and entertainment.

Next, if financially-doped, richer clubs spend their money *and also break the rules*, and employ every last must-win shithousery to eek out myriad marginal gains too, then you must win hearts and minds and, entertain, or you're condemned to insanity by the gaslighting of dopers succeeding, and the futility of caring about results.

You still need to try and win. Try hard, Victory without struggle is meaningless. Life without struggle is a fantasy.

But what can we get out of the process if we don’t win?

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*Note: the ZenDen is additional content separate from the TTT Main Hub. Rather than seek to write freelance work for other outlets, to supplement my income and keep TTT running (as everything gets more expensive), I write paywalled, zen-like material on the ZenDen. The ZenDen is a quiet space with no commenting – just articles to read. The community remains on the Main Hub, and its where I interact with subscribers, write different articles, and provide post-match analysis.*