I don't really like politics that much. And I like the order and simplicity of sports. They have an ending. You can argue with your friends about it but in the end you still like sports. I almost love the fantasy world of sports more than the real world.
My optimism is not based primarily on the successful march of democracy in recent times but rather is based on the experience of having lived in a fear society and studied the mechanics of tyranny that sustain such a society.