For many it's not uncomfortable, and neither is loud any kind of a downside. Sports is unique as a form of drama in which the outcome isn't known (to anyone) i

For many it's not uncomfortable, and neither is loud any kind of a downside. Sports is unique as a form of drama in which the outcome isn't known (to anyone) in advance. (Conspiracy accusations aside.) There's a type of suspense possible with sports that doesn't exist in any other kind of entertainment. And it's not just the outcome that's unpredictable, there's random feats, drama, narratives, entertainment that can come out nowhere that no one would have ever written. A pitcher hitting a bird in mid air. A baseball bouncing off a wall, hitting the ground, then a player's thigh, then going over the wall. In the late innings of a close playoff game. The game has to be stopped while it's figured out what that means because it hasn't happened in decades, if ever. A football player running into the butt of his teammate with his face, falling down and fumbling. Many games are mundane but the exciting or funny moments arise from the vast hours and repetition, there's a lot of opportunities for the unexpected. Again, other forms of drama are more predictable not just in their outcomes but in where and when the beats will happen. That itself isn't enough on its own, you also need to care about the outcome in order for that suspense to be enjoyable. Like religion, it helps to have been indoctrinated by family or geography when you were young. I don't think I'd have been able to start caring as an adult. It's also dependable in a way your favorite shows, books, movies, musicians aren't. It's reliably been there for every year of my life, for over 35 years. That's meaningful. (Though there's the occasional strike, and some people are unlucky enough for their team to leave their city.) It's not reliably exciting, any one game can be boring, any one year (or decade) can be fruitless. But it amounts to something much more than the sum of its parts. Some fans are more drawn to the strategy and mechanics of the game, but for me it's more about the history and mythology of the team and the sport in my own life. And I haven't even touched on the social aspect, or the off-field drama that can be its own kind of meta entertainment.