The fundamental reasons for our tradition of low profile caving have not changed, and a chance for fame is not in itself a reason to adopt a different policy. A movie about caves is different from a movie about dolphins. Yes, caves need protection and protection requires education. But caves are also vulnerable to interest that leads to greater visitation. Dolphins don't get bootprints on them, and people don't usually break off pieces of dolphins to take home as souvenirs.
Caves can only take so much human traffic before they are damaged beyond repair.
Yes, the skeptics acknowledge, very few people who learn about caves actually go caving, and the growth of the NSS is flat. Let's consider the Guadalupes of New Mexico, the skeptics suggest. While permits are available to all, these caves are hard to find and many require technical caving skills. But a large percentage of visitors are not NSS members. In the last decade, many of these spectacular caves have been closed by their managers because of damage caused by heavy traffic.