Welcome to Deadspin’s The Sports Nihilist, where all is for naught, and we are but accidental jolts of electrified meat stuck to the surface of a rock in an indifferent universe. Let’s talk about rich, powerful, egotistical owners for a few hundred words. How is a person able to ruin the lives of countless fans and employees, screw up repeatedly, retain a leadership role and also sleep at night? I’ll tell you. They’re nihilists, like me. The goal of life is to work your way to the top, and make sure you have as few peers as possible. Born at the top? Even better. As long as you control something, you’re set. James Dolan and Jeanie Buss would eat each other before they got out of an escape room, and consuming the competition before resorting to a reasonable solution is the sign of a true CEO. It’s the owners who are often tasked with the most difficult jobs. Hirings, firings, rebuildings, restructurings, all require a deft and ruthless hand that very few people understand. A good owner adapts to their surroundings, insulates themselves with proper scapegoats or finds a new fan base from whom to take money. Look at Dean Spanos. He saved the people of San Diego millions, billions of dollars by leaching onto SoFi and not extorting the community for a stadium. Shout out to the owners, the true visionaries. Without their greed, bravery, intelligence and insatiable lust for power, sports would not be the perfect vehicle for analogies about the real world, and how brutal and desolate it is. Long live wealth disparity!