Over the last few years, there’s been a trend in sports that has grown like a cancer. It’s the trend of tabloid/TMZ-type sports stories that dominate headlines, and more often than not lead “SportsCenter.”

The top stories day after day are things that rarely have to do with a game. It’s things like: “Will Brett Favre retire?” or “Did Brett Favre send lewd photos to Jenn Sterger?” or “How can we stop concussions?” or “Will there be a lockout in [insert league here]?”

You hear people say all the time when these stories get shoved down our throats, “Who cares?”

But that’s not the question we need to ask. Because of course people care. If people didn’t care, then ESPN and CBS and every other publication or networks wouldn’t put it out there for us. They aren’t going to publish things that don’t interest people because they won’t make any money if they do.

People want to read about Brett Favre sending “sexts” to an attractive female. They want to know if Elin did in fact hit Tiger with a 9-iron. They want to know what’s happening behind the scenes in the NFL collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

People follow these stories, and if they tell you they don’t, they’re lying.

So the better question is: Why do people care? Why is Brett Favre’s retirement status or picture messages more important than who won the big game?

The quick answer: People want to be entertained.

More than anything today, sports has become entertainment. The spectacle is far more important than the product. People want to see something that makes them feel good or feel better about themselves.

As bad as it may sound, people take pleasure in the misfortune of celebrities or famous athletes. Ben Roesthlisberger, Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress and a host of others became punch lines to jokes.

Each of those guys didn’t become punch lines because they played badly in the Super Bowl. It was because they made fools out of themselves in the public eye. It’s the same reason people read tabloid magazines or go to TMZ.com.

Even if the suits at ESPN or any other network don’t actually believe this stuff is newsworthy, they’re going to print or broadcast it because people will eat it up. If they eat it up, ESPN makes money. It’s a vicious cycle, but until people decide they aren’t interested in rumor and innuendo anymore, it will continue to get top billing.

Especially with the rise of Twitter and Facebook, I don’t see anything changing. People want to know everything about their favorite players and coaches, so if something controversial happens, it’s going to be the biggest story of the day.

Bob Dylan wrote once that “Times, they are a changin’.” Well, these times won’t change until you, the readers, decide they should. Until then, the trend of TMZ-ESPN will continue.