The majority of those who bet on sports are truly fans of the sport and have a favorite team, so their motivations for doing so go beyond just the money and the excitement it provides. The enjoyment of the sport itself, and watching the game live are all parts of the sport betting and viewing experience. At the very least, in my opinion, learning about the sport really improves the experience compared to simply placing an online wager and waiting to see the results hours later. You don't have to be a diehard fan to place a wager, but it helps if you do watch the matches rather than placing bets to not familiar with or a fan of that game or team. This makes it more enjoyable for you.
I've have already been building private spreadsheets for few weeks to study fighters and as a stats geek that's half of the fun. I think that the fact i don't have favorites gives e an edge as i don't have any strong expectations for anyone. I can just look at the stats and study their style from past fights. So far i have been enjoying this way more then slots. Only thing that sucks is that i have to wait for good fights so long. With slots it was all instant fun.