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It reminds of the tension for professional athletes between playing simply to win and playing to put on a good show for the audience. Of course, athletes have
by gabemart 13y ago
It reminds of the tension for professional athletes between playing simply to win and playing to put on a good show for the audience.
Of course, athletes have a more direct commercial relationship with their fans, so have a greater degree of responsibility to entertain them.
For a jeopardy contestant who plays once, it seems reasonable that they play in whatever fashion they determine gives them they best chance of winning.
But for a jeopardy contestant who wins consistently and plays a large number of shows, do they accrue any responsibility to be the equivalent of "a good sport" and put on a show for the fans -- who are, indirectly, paying for their continued winnings?
I appreciate Arthur Chu's strategy and applaud him for his rational approach to the game. But, as a regular watcher, I definitely enjoy the game less when he's playing, because I find it harder to follow along with the questions. I don't necessarily think this is a Bad Thing, but I think it's worth exploring.
- wmeredith 13y agoIt's all about incentives. A professional athletes popularity directly translates (mostly) to them getting to play more, play longer, and make more money. On Jeopardy, if you lose you're off. The buzzer and the board don't care if anyone likes you or not. Obviously in some extreme circumstance they could kick someone off the show for spouting racial slurs or assaulting another player or something. And injury haunts pro athletes no matter how well liked. None of that changes the fact that in jeopardy there's no incentive for showmanship or PR.