If the Washington Post’s Chuck Lane was annoyed by the weekslong reign of “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer back at the end of April, he must be positively apoplectic at the powerhouse contestant’s ongoing success. “Do you not see that this guy is a menace?” Lane asked, denouncing a culture that celebrates Holzhauer’s “relentless march to victory.”

Yes, sometimes a crushing victory is grotesque, but it can also be a thing of beauty, even to those defeated. What’s the difference? Let me see if I can get at an answer.