Bread and circuses, poor and impoverished cultures do it too.
I've always thought of an obsession with spectator sports as being somewhat akin to an infatuation with pornography. A little bit is probably OK, perhaps even good for you. But when it assumes a major role in your life it is pathological.
Like pornography, being a sports fan is a form of voyeurism: you're not participating yourself, you're watching someone else having a good time.
I am enthusiastic about one sport, sailing, and if I could I would sail every chance I got. But I could not watch sailboat races on TV two or three times a week even if they were available.