Back in the day, I used to play in a lot of 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. (Pre-COVID, I used to play basketball period. *sigh*) A lot of Gus Mackers. A lot of local fundraiser events. The idea was to simulate pickup games, the kind you'd play in a driveway with neighbors and friends. So, no refs. Call your own fouls. Play hard, but have fun. And that worked really great. Until it didn't.
There always seemed to be one team (more typically, one guy on one team) who was in it to win no matter what. He usually was a pretty good player, but would stop at nothing to make sure he won. For instance, if he missed a shot, he would call a foul. Didn't matter if you were near him or not. He'd call the foul and then argue for 10 minutes if you challenged him. Then when you got ball, he'd smack the crap out of your elbow on a shot and argue for 10 minutes that he never touched you. Purposeful and without shame. His goal was to wear you down so he could call himself a winner.
See where I'm going with this? Yeah, it's not too difficult figure out. Donald Trump is that guy.
The difference, of course, is that you'd often give in to the basketball guy. It wasn't worth your time. The Presidency of the United States of America over the next four years — that has more consequence.
Everybody votes, then you count all the votes. It's really pretty simple.
John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
