I tend to invest more interest and emotion in an event when I know who the participants are. What applies to poker also holds true to sports. Take two boxing matches of equal quality. One fight has two named fighters, while the other features two unknowns. I'm going to enjoy both fight, but the one with the named fighters will have a greater sense of drama and excitement for me.

__________________
"You gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?" - Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs