I love watching a good chess game and have found lately that I have been enjoying watching chess games more then even playing games as I continue to learn from what I am watching and see new ideas played by other chess players. I find that it can be very valuable to view games and it seems to be becoming even more popular with game databases growing online and software being created for viewing games along with live footage of tournaments (something that I think can be improved even further!)
It is also something that has allowed players to prepare for opponents in tournaments as players can find information on usual opening and variations that they may use in their game. This really highlights the need for chess players to have a great understanding of numerous different chess openings and variations in order to surprise opponents on the chess board (something I know I need to improve).
In my mind chess is a great spectator sport!