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I like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. The jump from college to pro is big. Some guys can make it with ease and others can never make. For some it takes some time. A good example: I am a big Oakland Raider fan. A few years ago they had the #1 pick and took QB JaMarcus Russell. He was a big, strong dude with a cannon for an arm. Everyone thought he would be a great QB. He turned out to be a bust. The first season I was still a fan. He seemed like he was working hard and trying to improve, but then his second season reports start coming out about how he isn't trying very hard in practice and is just acting like he doesn't care. At that point I give up on a guy.
I think most fans just want the players on a team to care and to try hard. Some of the most popular guys on teams are not the biggest stars, but the role playing grinders who may not have a ton of talent, but have a lot of heart.
As for not understand sports fandom. . . I can see how some people can feel that way. There are a lot of people who just aren't into it and don't see the excitement. For me it is best described by a line from the movie Fever Pitch: "It is good for your soul to invest yourself emotionally into something that you have absolutely no control over."
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