Baudrillard's definition of a simulation versus a representation redefines existence in the Information Age. Nothing is real or simulated - things exist insofar as they cause other events. Consequently, highly functional entities, both material substances and dynamic procedures, are more real than sloppy designs, since reality is directly proportional to efficiency. The aura of a unique object matters little in an age where existence is perceived, expressed and encoded digitally. If two entities provide the exact same functionality, if their quantitative encodings are equivalent, then the two entities are equivalent. Information theory could care less about how one of the two is a real person and the other an android.

So how does American football fit in with all of this?