SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT

'Sports entertainment' is a type of entertainment that takes the form of a sporting event, but with more emphasis on dramatic storylines, humor, spectacle or titillation than on a contest of athletic skills. Some sports entertainment events have a predetermined winner, while in others the winner is determined through an actual contest.
The term came into prominence in the 1980s through its use by the World Wrestling Federation and its chairman, Vince McMahon. Use of the term ''sports entertainment'' was promoted within the WWF to distance itself from athletic contests governed by the rules of national, state, and provincial athletic commissions. By doing this, the WWF and its wrestlers were able to avoid heavy commission fees and license costs, and to retain relative freedom from outside regulation.
Precursors have been found going back to February 1935, when ''Toronto Star'' sports editor Lou Marsh described professional wrestling as "sportive entertainment."
It has been suggested that other events, such as monster truck rallies; roller derbies (especially the most recent reincarnation, RollerJam); and the British television show Gladiators (plus spin-offs such as American Gladiators) could be considered sports entertainment as well. The Harlem Globetrotters, which have long had more of an entertainment value than an actual sporting event, have even used the term in commercials for their events.