Most slaves of the current control system work 9-5 mainly menial jobs that only allow them to rest and recuperate at the weekends; hence the need for sports. This is an essential distraction mechanism of the control system as the last thing they want any slave worker at the weekend to do is question their reality. In other words, they want a society of workers and not critical thinkers. Sports stars are basically sell-outs (just like all celebrities) who have been rewarded with massive salaries by the elite as they serve their purpose to keep everyone brainwashed, distracted and under control (all credit to Jason Christoff for this excellent video):-