I have to say i never looked at it this way before, but that makes total sense. I think most people are just casual sports fans and may want to go out and catch a baseball or hockey game every once in awhile, but when you have football once a week, it kind of becomes a big deal. I like your thought process.
If you live in a smaller population state, your NFL team still has a chance to win the Super Bowl because of the way the financial model is setup. Unlike the NBA where the top ten population states have a 3 times better chance of getting their teams into the playoffs, the NFL has created a system where virtually everyone has a shot. Not to sound corny, but this represents what America is supposed to be all about, and the average fan loves it.