The ticket you purchase to a sporting event reflects this notion of sports being simply entertainment.
The "Spygate" lawsuit proves this. In this lawsuit, a New York Jets fan sued the New England Patriots for illegally (by NFL rules) videotaping their opponents coaching signals. The lawsuit asked for the Jets ticket holders' money back in 10 years worth of games - the duration of the Patriots "cheating" via this videotaping.
While you can read the
U.S. Appeals Court's complete ruling in this case here, Senior Judge Robert E. Cowen's main conclusion was this: "
At best, he [Carl Mayer, the plaintive] possessed nothing more than a contractual right to a seat from which to watch an NFL game between the Jets and the Patriots, and this right was clearly honored....Mayer possessed either a license or, at best, a contractual right to enter Giants Stadium and to have a seat from which to watch a professional football game. In the clear language of the ticket stub,
‘[t]his ticket only grants entry into the stadium and a spectator seat for the specified NFL game.’ Mayer actually was allowed to enter the stadium and witnessed the ‘specified NFL game
’ between the Jets and Patriots. He thereby suffered no cognizable injury to a legally protected right or interest."
Cowen concluded, "We do not condone the conduct on the part of the Patriots and the team’s head coach, and we likewise refrain from assessing whether the NFL’s sanctions (and its alleged destruction of the videotapes themselves) were otherwise appropriate. We further recognize that professional football, like other professional sports, is a multi-billion dollar business. In turn, ticket-holders and other fans may have legitimate issues with the manner in which they are treated….Significantly, our ruling also does not leave Mayer and other ticket-holders without any recourse. Instead, fans could speak out against the Patriots, their coach, and the NFL itself. In fact, they could even go so far as to refuse to purchase tickets or NFL-related merchandise….However, the one thing they cannot do is bring a legal action in a court of law. [emphasis in original].”
If that is the best protection a ticket provides a fan, do you honestly believe watching a game on television grants one more legal protection?