Purely an anecdotal observation, but for decades the primary commercial sponsors of the NFL were Detroit pick-up truck advertising with rough and tough patriotism. Similarly, beer commercials showed rugged guys (except for Budweiser) enjoying a beer. And yet in the last few years the NFL has donned pink uniforms, embraced homosexuality, and has allowed anti-American protests to continue unimpeded. Coupled with ESPN going full liberal proselytizing, is there any wonder why NFL seats are unfilled?
I think this is just the start of the trend. A lot of fans were under the self impression that they could never do without endless football and now are seeing that the price is too high to continue with the ongoing indoctrination and are doing just fine with a whole lot less football viewing.
Moreover, 3+ hours for one game that consist of 15 minutes of actual game play and about 2 hours and 45 minutes of commercials. In today’s world investing 3+ hours in a single football game is asking a lot. I can’t imagine the amount of time season ticket holders invest preparing and traveling to and from games.
1. Beer and pickup truck commercials were the norm when fans were younger.
2. A decade or two later, you started to see ads for luxury cars and pharmaceuticals all over the TV during an NFL game. This wasn't because the NFL suddenly decided to market itself to newer, older fans. It was their traditional fan base simply getting older.
3. Now that traditional fan base is dying off, and those that remain are likely to be found in nursing homes.
The homosexualization and feminization of the NFL today reflects the sobering reality they're facing: Young heterosexual men aren't big football fans anymore. So the NFL has a desperate need to replace their traditional fans with other customers -- many of whom aren't even football fans at all.