Damn...
All these things that I mentioned, that Randall mentioned, that Thaskalos alluded to, none of them would have come about if the NFL was losing popularity (according to your defintion). They came about as a result of the growth of the sport. Dilanesp makes it sound like they are desperate measures to hold on to their dwindling, or at best stable, level of attraction. What a weird alternative universe he must live in.