Interesting to read. Pro sport is largely a wash. Geared only for obscene profits and for distract.ion - It’s not really interesting. There’s more coverage of the soap dramas around the sport, than there is in the game, and people eat it up. Interestingly, this is how it’s supposed to be : as far back as Rome, large scale sporting contests are meant to distract the citizenry from politics, more than anything else .

Community sport is much better. However as you have said, it’s not immune to boorish behaviour, usually when alcohol and testosterone are involved. Much of this can also be attributed to dwindling social capital - the phenomenon whereby we behave awfully to each other, because we don’t know each other well and don’t feel any obligation toward each other. This of course isn’t helped by rampant individualism.

I would urge you to look again though - maybe a women’s sport, but ideally in game you love, where your own respect and enjoyment of the game transcends winning and losing. Plus, amateur sport has much more accessible players - which make it easier to invest in their success.