[mcny]

Winner take all is something freakonomics talks about: why do workers for drug dealers work for low pay and high risk knowing there's a higher chance of dying than getting on top? Why do so many high schoolers aspire to become NFL players knowing the chances are so slim?

[lucideer]

It's a problem that occurs in a lot of industries, but one that's definitely significantly more severe in some than the average.

I wonder if there are common cross-industry causes, or more specific contextual reasons this occurs. I suspect the latter.