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I'm not British, but are you saying that professional sports are funded (at least partially) by taxpayers? If that's true, now the "trolls" have an even more legitimate claim to take issue with the whole idea, as their tax dollars are going to fund a sport that they don't watch, don't care about, and is (theoretically) unable to survive on its own. If you're a taxpayer, you have a right to voice your opinion over where your tax dollars are going.
I understand the idea of encouraging people to play sports, but it seems like that could be done without having Government subsidized professional sports (ie. put the money into more local club teams or school teams).