[travelalberta]

“Sports are the opiate of the middle class” as a reframe sucked all the fun out of sports for me. Overvalued to watch in person, too many ads to watch digitally. Not to mention having sports betting rammed down my throat. Professional sports is like any other medium from my childhood, monetized into the abyss and not as fun to interact with.

[crossroadsguy]

I have only enjoyed those matches in person where sponsors and camera crew are missing. Everything else is just sports opera.

Of course, those local matches are something I have always loved. Local as in a few people just playing on some ground (rarely the full ICC size, which is good; otherwise, it becomes too difficult to track) - just playing for the sake of playing - with no intention or plan to show the game to anyone else, as sometimes I am the only spectator sitting near the fence. You know the ones where you are sometimes asked to join if they are short on players and they notice you are wearing sports/running shoes. At least for cricket, this happens.

[RandomBacon]

I recently attended a Minor League Baseball game. It was way more enjoyable than the area's corresponding Major League Baseball games.

Probably because there was way less people (the density was only slightly less, mostly just a significantly smaller facility - so no significant traffic trying to park, enter, or leave). They also had a lot more family-friendly entertainment.

[PaulHoule]

I enjoy games at my Uni: baseball games in an intimate setting, basketball by players and teams that aren't cheaters, ...

[nradov]

That's why the professional sports leagues are increasingly partnering with gambling companies. For a lot of sports fans if they have money riding on the game then it's more fun to watch and increases engagement. (I'm not claiming that this is a good thing, just that it's clearly happening.)