Gladiator fights get a bad rap, they weren't as deadly as modern pop culture makes them out to be. A gladiator actually dieing in an arena was a relatively rare occurrance, and some of the better ones were revered the same way we look up to modern athletes today. However, it's still blood sport, and I get your point.

The fascination with death and suffering has been around, I think, since the dawn of humanity, and it's not about to go away. It must be some inherent need feel to actually want to see that kind of stuff, even if it revolts us. But I pretty much agree with FunkyMonkey on this, so I won't repeat everything he said.