I play in a pool league, and by far, the teams I look forward to playing are the ones that are getting mediocre results but really using the sport as a pretense

I play in a pool league, and by far, the teams I look forward to playing are the ones that are getting mediocre results but really using the sport as a pretense to have a fun mates night out. You get the teams putting lots of effort into technique and matchplay as though it's the most important thing. Do you want to be the best arbitrary group of six players in the local town, or do you want to connect to other people in your community with a backdrop of light competition?