Too often, contrast is obscured until the distinctions are next to each other: dark isn’t as dim as when it’s next to light; sweet becomes tart when it follows sour; rough is more abrasive when compared to smooth. It’s a type of relativity that’s become unconscious, and in that way, universal.
So universal, in fact, that those comparisons hold true with far more complex ideas. Like sports teams. Products of not only players and fans but histories and cultures, teams can rarely be reduced to light and dark, rough or smooth. Yet it’s only when you compare one to another that you truly see a group’s qualities emerge.