I suppose one could say that sport would still be sport without the crowd, but then most of the premise might fall apart and competition would be different, sma

I suppose one could say that sport would still be sport without the crowd, but then most of the premise might fall apart and competition would be different, smaller scale, money based on bets perhaps. For better or worse the entertainment of others often defines sport as opposed to hobbyist competition. Monster Trucks and Pro Wrestling just don't bother with the aspect of real competition, but real competition is usually arbitrary anyway.