In Pittsburgh and the NFL world it's big news, but I can understand your cynicism. And I agree there are much bigger things in the world than the NFL and celebrity culture for sure, but his accident does shine a light on the motorcycle issue and professional sports in general.
Bob Dylan I beleive had a bad motorcycle accident back in the 60's, and if the internet had been around back then it would be a big story, IMO.
Of course Bod Dylan didn't make a living going on the field and having the chance his head would be bashed after every snap.
That has always been a bad intersection. Pittsburgh used to have a cop stationed there that became famous for waiving his hands and flagging people to keep up their pace during work traffic.