You might think that we 'd finally grow weary of caring , with headlines about Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds , with the sports pages often reading like the business pages ( contract disputes and stadium bond-issue negotiations and salary arbitration ) , with police-blotter details sometimes pushing aside the box scores . Bob Greene : What explains why Americans watch sports so intently ? He says professional athletes bore us with steroid and scandal stories . Greene : We watch for the greatness the greatest athletes can achieve . He says it reflects the top - notch effort everyone can afford to contribute .
Bob Greene : What explains why Americans watch sports so intently ? He says professional athletes bore us with steroid and scandal stories . Greene : We watch for the greatness the greatest athletes can achieve . He says it reflects the top - notch effort everyone can afford to contribute .