There's a reason even the ancient Romans promoted "bread and circuses" for the masses!
I'm glad to see this coming from a sports fan. You can enjoy the thing you enjoy and still see critically the societal implications. I've never been a big sports fan, so I feel like it seems elitist or snobby of me to talk about it. I mean, I can enjoy a game of soccer or hockey, but I'm not really passionate about it. It's more fun in a "hang out with friends" kind of way to me (and soccer isn't that popular here in the States. It might be if it was on free tv like other sports are, but you have to pay out the wazoo to have a cable package that includes soccer matches. And I hate American football. It's so slow to me, lol).