Everyone is a sportsperson in the past.

“I used to play football in school.”

“They called me Michael Phelps in college.”

“I was a baller.”

Now, we want to play, but can’t/don’t/won’t.

So we live a sportsman’s life vicariously.

We revel in a player’s achievement,

we wallow in their loss.

We buy jerseys,

not in support but to feel like

the player.

We buy the same shoes they wear,

their pad and bat and ball.

We emulate their stance, their victory dance

and their fashion style.

We cheer for them as their success is tied to ours, both our favourite player and us getting hits of dopamine at the same time.

We are secondhand sportspeople.

The kind that capitalism loves.