I feel a lot of it is the player base. Especially with a game like NW the longer you play it the less seriously you take it. Most people who have played for years and years are tired of casual events and what not so they turn to trolling, playing competitive, or both. I can certainly say most of the LG for example still only plays this game for competitive events and tournaments such as NANWL or for me these amazing draft leagues. I’m seriously addicted to these little leagues I think.
Also with that new players that come in are often brought up in a non-serious manner. When a new player comes to this game they will likely play the game in the same manner as their first experiences in NW were. That is if they stick around.