the.com/exhibition game
a sport wearing a costume of itself, where winning is optional and injuries are not.
means a match played before the real season starts, mainly to test lineups and sell tickets, whose result officially means nothing.
from the term grew out of 19th-century barnstorming baseball tours, when teams played extra games purely for pay and practice, no pennant on the line.
nba stakespreseason games count zero toward standings, ever
nfl injuriesstarters often play under 15 minutes total
harlem globetrottersbuilt an entire business on scripted exhibition wins
olympic originearly olympic demo sports never awarded real medals
for instance
mlb spring training — florida and arizona, six weeks of meaningless march baseball
nba preseason — four games nobody remembers before october tips off