Not even close

If you put me alone in a room with Michael Jordan, I would be able to say that I am the second best basketball player in the room. On the surface, my boast might imply that I am a pretty good basketball player. Second-best in the room, right? 

But it tells us almost nothing about reality. First of all, the number of people compared is a huge thing to know. Second place out of two really does not sound all that impressive. Additionally, second best doesn’t describe the huge, Everest-like difference between Jordan’s basketball skills and my own.