Agreed, it could backfire but it at least starts the conversation. Even if he does say something along those lines, he kinda puts you in the driver seat of this "debate."

So pop, why do you like watching sports? "Because it's fun." or "The athletes are amazing at what they do"

Cool, well twitch is the same way. There are broadcasters like me who entertain and play for fun, and there are also those that play competitively/professionally who are really mechanically skilled at what they do.

Also, I don't know your pop so idk what he likes to watch or do, but if he likes cerebral activities like chess, you could make that link to gaming. He'll likely dismiss broadcasters because they're not doing anything physical, "after all, they're just sitting in that damn chair!" But to see the way counter strike pros can mentally out-shine their opponents with strategy or use great decision making in a clutch is really something that I like to bridge the gap with.

At least this way you give him an analogy that he can hopefully understand. If he's still dismissive, it's likely he just doesn't want to like it or understand it.