It's a game. A really big game. We, the public, are just spectators, willing or unwilling. Some of us buy an expensive ticket and go to the game because we believe in it enough to root for one of the teams. Others simply walk by the stadium, listen to the roar of the crowd echoing through the towering walls of the Coliseum, shake their heads, and walk on...

The odd thing about the tickets to this game, though, is that everyone must buy one. You end up paying regardless of whether or not you have any wish to participate in the process. Those who participate more enthusiastically may pay a bit more in some cases in order to get better seats, but everybody pays. It's unavoidable.