The reason the average viewer doesn't know about all the individual players and personalities is exactly because the scenes are so small in comparison to sports. Most of the stuff that we learn about the athletes is not through watching the game, but from stories outside of the game. Most of the people in this thread, and the regulars, know all about the players, though. Because they watch regularly or seek out that information just like the sports audience. As the scene gets bigger, you will have more of those storylines come through. They're there, and most of us know them, but obviously people who don't tune in regularly won't know. We all have our dogs in the fight and the players we don't like. We know the underdogs and the favorites. We can't expect the Adam Sesslers to know. That's the same as my gf tuning into the SB and not knowing dick about either team, so she picks the best uniform to root for or the most handsome QB.
The one thing they could do, I suppose, is individual player pieces. Leading up to major sporting events like the SB or NBA finals, there's always a story or two about a player's struggle. They get beat into the ground all week leading up to the event and there's usually a piece in the pre-game. I actually wouldn't mind a pre-game show for EVO, but I know people would rather watch casuals. I only like casuals when it's a MM... so I guess not really casual.
Why did instant replays go away in fighting game streams, btw? They still exist in other e-sports, but they went away real fast in the FGC.