Seriously, I was wondering the same thing!
I have been REALLLLLY Surprised by some of the comments here...
There is nothing new under the sun. When an idol/god is shown to be a false one, this is what happens. Some go away saddened that the idol has fallen, yet realize it/he/she was an idol. Others will realize that in time. But until the do, they will do as the last group - find any way to keep their idol on the throne because to do anything less is to admit that they were led astray. Sports is just one example.