My friend Max and I like to make fun of each other for our respective New England Patriots and politics obsessions. Since Philip Baruth quite nicely summarized my own attitude toward sports in his recent post, I thought it would be fun to forward the link to Max.

Seems Max fits Philip’s definition of an “overachiever,” having more than a casual knowledge of both sports and politics. But he goes us true obsessives one better and says that at least he knows where the “fantasy” ends.

Max responds (my emphasis):

I would suggest that both sports and politics have changed dramatically in the past 10 years. The attention to minute statistics is really a facet of the internet and the up-to-the minute “checking up on your team” availability to information that just didn’t exist in either realm (at least at the widespread extent that it occurs today) before. I for one have no interest in “fantasy sports” by which people jerk off to stats on every player etc. And, although I want both Berlusconi to lose and people on the left to win in general, I can’t get it up to follow polls that I was not allowed to vote in.

Now I do have some perspective: I know I can’t change anything in sports, but can be informed and vote in political situations, I can give money to causes I support (he he he), and, if I didn’t have to hang out with people I don’t know, I could volunteer for a campaign. So, politics is the game we can all play some role in, it is true. And, no matter my obvious qualifications, I will never play outside linebacker for the Patriots.

My problem with politics as a leisure activity is precisely that it imitates the sports world’s mania for allegiance and the constant craving for one-upping our political rivals. It turns issues that require meditation and pragmatism into kneejerk “gotcha” games. For example, for all of the awful things this president has done, he actually handled his going to the wrong exit door with style…but some just chalk it up to another episode of his idiocy (admittedly, a small and inconsquential example). This derives from the same energy that fuels a sport’s fans inability to praise a good play by his opponent.

Now, of course, both sides of the political spectrum play the game and there is no doubt where my allegiances fall. I am no political moderate, but I don’t do the “fantasy leagues” of political blogging. The problem, however, and a true one for all leftist sports fans, is that a fair number of our fellow jock watchers are right-wing freaks who merely apply their sports passions to their political insights and that is dangerous. It is this sort of thinking that allows people to ignore all facts about the failure of this administration because, “we won, and I will support my team no matter what.”

I do Rawstory and Crooksandliars once a day and really enjoy them. Indeed, during the offseason, I am about split half and half. I am just gearing up for the time when all political participation is taken away and we all have to go see the gladiators to take our minds off of our impotency. Just don’t confuse my lack of interest in minutely following politics with a half-hearted passion for justice and the general progress of the left…

…The best compromise is Greg Easterbrook’s, “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” on NFL.com. It has a little bit of both and some Paris Hilton thrown in for good measure. Remember, the PEOPLE magazine, papparazzi-addicted types are out there too, they just don’t have stats.

Well played, mon ami…