I think that was a reference to farm animals living in mostly the same conditions. The only difference is that their purpose is food rather than entertainment.

Quatsch. It has everything to do with it.

If it were not for the collective cognitive dissonance underlying the popular support for this kind of position - i.e. that meat is ok, but blood sports and zoos are bad - then almost any kind of moralising over animal welfare would be untenable.

Entertainment is not a necessity, but neither is meat. People justify eating meat because it would be a big sacrifice, for them personally, to go without it, and I will bet in 99% of cases they do not care for the the zoos/sports they wish to eliminate. Probably because they cannot handle the visibility of the captivity (where as outsourced captivity and cruelty is not a problem).

Ethical action entails personal sacrifice. Getting rid or something you do not care for is in general just an easy and intolerant (of other humans) position to take. This is the reality of the situation once bias and disneyfication has been taken into account.