Mr. Karate said some truths though. But sports games aren't all yearly licensed cash grabs, at least they weren't a decade or two before.
There are plenty of sports games with character, you just have to be into them. International Superstar Soccer and ISS Deluxe aren't going to break anyone's bank (at least everything except a boxed SNES ISSD) but there's plenty of demand for them because it's a damn fun game and probably the best 2D soccer game (cue yuropeans getting sensible over Sensible Soccer). On Pro Evolution Soccer there was a team of generic C-grade players with ludicrous names (Castolo, Ivarov, Espimas, Ximelez) you can start with for your Division B team in Master League mode (the equivalent of Football Manager but you actually control the matches), but the game is so affectionately remembered, the players became memorable. Etc., etc. etc. I guess another example outside of soccer is Tecmo Bowl but I couldn't tell since I don't follow the sport, and that's usually how it is for external observers with those games.
EDIT: ah yes, the use of the word "simulator" is a classic mistake as a lot of games used to be as arcade as it gets, and this is what makes the modern Maddens not very appealing. Simulation is boring, especially when it's an obsolete simulation.