From the life-is-stranger-than-fiction department —
If you are a real sports fan, you root for teams to win. But when would it be an advantage to lose? Granted, there are times to rest star players. In football, it may be a tactical advantage to give the
other team a safety. But to deliberately try to lose?
I’ve just listened to a podcast describing when that was indeed the situation. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but the program was NPR’s Radiolab in an episode entitled “Lose Lose” which originally aired on December 30, 2016. Yes, the sport was badminton, and the venue was the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. If you think that sounds strange, wait until you listen to the program.
“Lose Lose” is at http://www.radiolab.org/story/lose-lose/ . The photo came from that link.