lesschumras –
Stop being an am ha’aretz; look inside the Gemara cited above and tell me that a simple reading of it doesn’t include going to a football game (or a baseball game; whatever). I’m not saying you can’t find a heter. I can find you a heter for whatever you’d like; trust me, any capable lamdan can. Do not, however, deride a position which comes from looking at the Gemara in a most intellectually honest and open minded way, without supporting yourself with more than just silly retorts and straw men.