Sports games are great fun. It's your lack of interest in the subject matter that keeps you from learning how to play them, but even if you dislike or are indifferent to sports in real life, the games are loads of fun if you learn how to play them. It's similar in a way to fighting games. Try to play a fighting game without knowing any moves and it's pretty pointless and boring. The game only becomes fun once you can access some of its depth. The FIFA games are fantastic, especially with friends, and Fight Night is spectacular too. Of course Madden and ESPN NFL are great, but I can't really vouch for that first-hand. Tennis games (Top Spin, Virtua Tennis, Mario Tennis) and golf (Tiger Woods, Mario Golf, Golden Tee) are great too.
Really, sports (or any other topic/genre) should stay out of video games the same as it should stay out of movies. Sports movies may not appeal to a person due to a lack of interest in sports, but some damned good sports movies have been made (hoosiers, basketball diaries, longest yard (original), Raging Bull, Bull Durham, Caddyshack, Chariots of Fire, etc. etc. etc.