It's important for reasons including excitement, the opportunity to make some dough, and sharing thoughts & interest in it with guys like all of you here, who are much more wiser & knowledgeable than the "normal" sports fan.
I can live without it though, I've already proven that to myself.
I have mixed feelings toward it as well, because it sort of takes away from being a true fan of your favorite teams & sports in general, because before introduced to sportsbetting, we all simply rooted for our teams to win no matter what. Now, money comes into play, and at times the difference in your team winning & winning a wager conflict each other...