Agreed!
You can still see some big hits, but honestly I don't miss seeing a SS like Atwater coming in like a heat seeking missile and practically decapitating a WR across the middle. I also like seeing the stars play more games and miss fewer due to injury.
The game has evolved. It is still a physical game (far from a "Pro Bowl") but more like rugby, where there are hits and there is physicality but the stupid stuff where guys fly head first looking for the KO is becoming a thing of the past.
Football is only going to continue to grow in popularity with the rise of new stars. Remember when there was a legitimate worry about who the next batch of QBs would be after the Favres, Mannings, Bradys, etc. retired? No issue there: we have tons of exciting, young QBs that are leading teams into the future.
Also, few other sports allow for the teams that have been down to get back up. Teams that weren't traditionally strong have a shot at becoming the new power teams in the league. BUF, CLE, CIN, ARZ are just a few that were down and out for most of the past decade (or more) but have a real shot at winning consistently for a while.
All of a sudden KC went from a mediocre team to a super team, mostly because of 1 player.