Issue is that if I remember correctly the vive was an outside-in concept that required base stations to be setup
But that wasn't the complaint levied. They were literally complaining about needing to walk around.
And for many of that it is just fine to sit on a couch and still have a benefit from the technology.
But everyone knows the people watching at home on traditional 2D TV get the best view. Zooms on the players/performers, slow-mo recap, etc. I can't imagine the nausea of having your entire field of view warped across the court to see every special angle. Not to mention, until whatever VR app has a plug in for every thing you'd want to do on your phone while you're watching the game, you're stuck paying 100% of your attention to the sport.
Hell, even the people at the concert or sporting event spend half their time on their phone.