There are truths in both of our generalities.
And ideally, enjoying watching and playing are tantamount to the game’s survival. On the plus side, travel leagues have exploded in the last few years, providing more playing opportunities. The actual down side effect is the proliferation of parents who view baseball not as a fun activity, but as a scholarship opportunity. (This is not all parents, but probably more than you realize.). I do think some kids enjoy the game less for this reason.
But my point that the aspects of fWAR that bother some people just don’t bother kids today does stand. Many would rather just Google abd don’t care about the math.