Watching some of the Netflix docs like the Formula 1 one or the Tour de France one is a good gateway drug into "sports watching". It turns out it's all just for the stories, and a bit for the game.

There are heroes and villains, many different story lines about betrayal & triumphant comebacks from injury or a losing streak, etc. There is also an entire business side to it, where sports teams don't compete solely on the field, but also in business. They compete for market share to sell more jerseys or for talent to get the best players; That's always been the most fascinating to me personally.