The pride of beating the guys from the other town/school was the reward, until poor losers started paying ringers to come tip the scales in their favor.
We commercialized the crap out of a child’s game. The amount of time and money we as a society put into watching others play sports (when the average 30 yo will never sprint again) is what is wrong with pro and amateur athletics.
Can’t knock the athletes for getting their market value, I blame the culture of watching and investing in others live their lives while we sit on the couch.