Clock rules have speeded up the game for the benefit of television even as seasons have been stretched out an extra few months. It is the common belief of fans that refs and umpires favor large-market teams where possible. The leagues get more broadcast revenues when New York or LA are in the finals. The whole tone of pro sports in the media has changed from one of enjoyable pastime to crucial, world-shaking event. It turns out that pro sports have a lot of competition in the leisure sector.
People actually prefer to spend their time and money on other fun.
Even massive state sponsorship has failed to boost static attendance rates. So advertising for games has gotten kind of shrill, to say the least. Media owners present the teams as crucial to the economics of the region and the cultural stability of civilization itself. Here in Minnesota, the StarTribune newspaper treats any plan for a new stadium on a par with JFK's assassination or the outbreak of world war. Finally, government is now, through pro sports, subsidizing the media.