The View from Saturday Theme of Competition

For apparently not caring about the win, The Souls sure are good at competition. This is the problem with underdog stories: We know that team spirit is supposed to be the important point, but it's hard to buy that if we all still expect the longshot team to win. But let's take The View from Saturday on its own terms: Sure, The Souls want to win. They'll even practice on Saturday and challenge the judges. But they do it with such grace that you almost can't even tell that you're getting your behind kicked.

1. How are the Academic Bowl matches similar to sporting events? How are they different?
2. Are the members of The Souls equally skilled at competition, or are some better and worse than others?
3. How would Epiphany's team have changed if Hamilton, not Julian, had been selected as number four?

According to Konigsburg, The Souls would have been a team whether they competed in the Bowl or not.

The View from Saturday suggests that The Souls' major competition happens before they even get to the championship match.