No made-up names to protect the innocent. It's sort of make believe. In my book, this is a real place and a real team and a real city. It can happen. You want a sense of consequence.
Bad things can happen.
Yes, bad things can and do happen. I spent ten years dealing with rejection. The book becomes this abstract thing and the real goal is staying true to your course of writing. To this day, I would like to change half the book. Part of the training of a good writer is to never be satisfied.