Bill: What would you like to see in a football game?
I am with you I generally hate sports games. (However arcadey sports games are fun.)
The Mario Sports series games are the only ones I have truly ever enjoyed. Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis are both great examples of how Sports Video Games should use the Sport as a basic principle of the game, but go way beyond that to create a more surreal, fun, and unique experience. After all no video game can truly feel like you are playing the sport so why not spice it up?