> I don't think the article answers the question it presents.

You sure? I didn't need to read further than this quote to answer "Why do sports die?":

  "In areas adjacent to their temples, young men engaged in 
  a ball game, known as ōllamaliztli, that concluded with 
  the bloody sacrifice of one of the players upon the temple’s 
  altar. Whether the sacrificed player was a winner or a loser 
  we shall never know."

I wouldn't try out for that sport ;-).