Football: sport vs entertainment?

Ross_cafc

Apologies if this has been discussed before elsewhere but.... What is/should the balance be between football just being a sport that we watch vs entertainment that we pay for?

Mates have been complaining recently of boring football and teams grinding out results with no apparent attempt to entertain (across a variety of teams in the top leagues). We've all been to crap games that we wished we hadn't bothered but in business terms, surely it's better to put results over entertainment given the financial implications of relegation etc?

But on the flip side, dana white, UFC president tells fighters that it's about winning stylishly and providing entertainment, not just winning. Easy for him to say perhaps as he's not the one being punched in the face - although a mate of mine argues that this is a valid point and that the fighters want the money and the lifestyle that fans money brings and they therefore have a responsibility to entertain. He argues this is exactly the same for football.
I'm not sure where I sit with this, if you don't like the football then you don't have to pay to go but at the same time, the football experience would be very different for all involved without the millions of pounds that fans put in so is there an obligation to entertain?

What are peoples thoughts?

Saga Lout

What most fans want is entertaining football games in which their team wins.

You sometimes hear club owners say they want the manager to play 'attractive football', but what they want is attractive football, as long as we win.

Players being paid to do something that most of us have done or would do for free, tend to be highly competitive and I imagine, would place winning above entertaining.

Algarveaddick

Football in itself is just about the sport. Professional football on the other hand has to be entertaining, or people simply won't come and watch. The thoughts of someone who makes money from street scraps is irrelevant.

Lincsaddick

I like to see my team win even if the match is terrible, dire and boring. When I'm watching any other teams, I like to watch an open fast and entertaining game. I would think my attitude is pretty typical.

cafctom

The difference with the UFC is that a lot of their money comes from people having to buy the product on pay-per-view. They aren't necessarily 'supporters' who have grown up with an individual or team in that kind of sport.

If my team win, I'm happy and I won't be complaining one bit.

MrOneLung

It is about winning - I would rather watch hoofball, parking the bus style football that got us promotion than getting plaudits all around but losing.

Do you think the Arsenal fans preferred the title winning '1-0 to the Arsenal' days or the '7 trophyless years of pretty pretty football'

MuttleyCAFC

What would we prefer - a fantastic, scintillating 5-4 defeat or a boring sterile 1-0 win? Answer that and you have answered the question.

Davo55

There is a balance to be struck. Extended periods of boring but relatively successful football are disappointing - just think back to the last couple of years under Curbs. But, as others have said, we would also be pretty upset if we lost 5-4 or 4-3 every week.