[needle]

I get the point about the decreasing marginal utility of these games. However, as the article points out, there is a big TV audience out there during the holiday season. The question isn't so much whether these games are fabulously entertaining, it's just whether they are more entertaining, than, say, watching "It's A Wonderful Life" for the hundredth time. ESPN seems to think they are. Time will tell what the fans think.

Also worth noting when thinking about "fans": sports bettors. Linked below is an article that states football betting (yes, the American kind) is about a $2 billion industry in Nevada, about twice as much as the next popular sport for bettors.

With some pending legalization initiatives in various states, for ESPN it's probably *ahem* a good bet to continue broadcasting sports that appeal to this particular group of "fans."

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour...earch.aspx

[needle]

I get the point about the decreasing marginal utility of these games. However, as the article points out, there is a big TV audience out there during the holiday season. The question isn't so much whether these games are fabulously entertaining, it's just whether they are more entertaining, than, say, watching "It's A Wonderful Life" for the hundredth time. ESPN seems to think they are. Time will tell what the fans think.

Also worth noting when thinking about "fans": sports bettors. Linked below is an article that states football betting (yes, the American kind) is about a $2 billion industry in Nevada, about twice as much as the next popular sport for bettors.

With some pending legalization initiatives in various states, for ESPN it's probably *ahem* a good bet to continue broadcasting sports that appeal to this particular group of "fans."

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour...earch.aspx