also, these days, when i'm at the gym, on the treadmill, making myself sexy(sorry for the image), i tend to watch ESPN because it is simple. no plots to figure. just blind action and people hitting people. it's strangely inspiring.

although, the sportscasters. dear GOD, the sportscasters. i don't see how any sports enthusiast has any right to complain about too much talking or sharing because all ESPN does is talk and whine and CRY about one athlete or another. there's maybe 5 minutes of game-play compared to the 15 minutes of deconstruction of that play afterwards.

MTV doesn't play videos. ESPN rarely shows actual sports. and they have scripted shows, too.

the world of TV entertainment has gone to seed.

About the sports thing, it's funny because I was thinking about that today. I can only really comment on British/European sports but the principles are the same – the best sporting events have an element of real drama to them – more real than any reality show and something that is completely unscripted and unpredictable. So for the reasons you list ceer78, that's exactly why I'm *not* usually a fan of sports movies!
The real-life feuds and grudges, the back-stories of the players, the age old question of 'Who's better?" and the knowledge that when the lights go out and the camera's stop rolling, the competitors are still going to be carrying whatever happened on the field with them.
Of course real life drama being unpredictable also means it can be very boring – there's no guarantee of entertainment at all. I guess that makes it so much more special when you see something amazing.

My last point is probably going to undermine all of the above, but maybe that's why the only reality show I like/can stand is The Apprentice (UK version) because it's the closest to a meritocratic competition, the closest to a 'sport'.