I don't think I've attended a local pro game in the past two years. That never drove me. And it doesn't drive the books. What I like about the sports world is the potential for conflict and even murder. Every emotion is fervently raised to the tenth power.
People care about winning and losing way too much.
We treat kids who are barely old enough to vote into neo-gods. And a ripe arena for murder and suspense. Most of the standard clich s apply, I'm afraid. Write a lot. Then rewrite it again.