I care more about NCAA basketball than the L.A. government for two reasons:
1) the participants are actually required to perform, and
2) the participants are graded by results.
Your money, TV viewship and cable bill keep the people who are screwing you and taking away your freedoms in charge. i.e. serfdom
Each month if you have cable/sat Tv you are giving CNN and their networks $3 even if you do not watch. Ditto ABC/Disney/and their other channels plus the profitable sports programming keeps em in business.
Sadly most Americans are incapable of connecting the dots.