The sporting event I most often liken RftG to is track cycling. To the casual observer, there doesn't seem to be much interaction between the players -- everyone might as well just be biking around the track individually and then having their scores compared. It's not like the bikers get to kick other racers when they pass by them or throw obstacles or anything like that. But people who study the race more realize that there's a ton of strategy in aerodynamics, slipstreaming, and deciding when you're going to pass.