Well, great or not I suppose depends on each particular game. I myself do not follow any sports series on or off tv, only watching if it is there, and convenient. However, it is not possible to miss out completely events like the World Cup as highlights are shown on the news, people talk about the games at work, blah blah. Agree with you that many games have been reduced to mere theatrics. In this, sometimes it is better to watch a match between school teams like SJI vs. RI than those played by so-called "professionals." Anyway, money talks, and dictates many things that happen.
Cheers!