I dunno, I think it's just that sports represents a pinnacle of human achievement, not to mention being exciting to watch, mixed in with tribalism, traditions, etc, that keep its draw, not necessarily because we're looking for shared rules.
I think if the rules-based nature of it was the main draw, people would be more upset at flopping, superstar whistles, and other abuses of the rules. People also seem to only care about the rules when it benefits their team, and they conveniently forget the rules when it doesn't benefit their team.
I dunno, I think it's just that sports represents a pinnacle of human achievement, not to mention being exciting to watch, mixed in with tribalism, traditions, etc, that keep its draw, not necessarily because we're looking for shared rules.
I think if the rules-based nature of it was the main draw, people would be more upset at flopping, superstar whistles, and other abuses of the rules. People also seem to only care about the rules when it benefits their team, and they conveniently forget the rules when it doesn't benefit their team.