Monte, I don't know. I, too, would enjoy seeing a lot more participation. There are some of us loudmouths that hog the replies, I'm aware. But are we scaring off possible participants and or casual readers? If so, I understand your efforts to broaden the participation. Perhaps there is a rise contributions when the usual suspects aren't active. You are in a position to measure that.

And if complaining readers are frightened, just bored away, or are actually offended to never return,  I understand your efforts to ameliorate that as a problem. It's difficult to measure if complainers are effectively a negative demographic to the healthy function of a forum, I would think.

In terms of the NFL, most people in the stadium aren't players, only observers. All of them are complainers, some incessant. But they still tune in or attend at their expense. And they are fans as a process of reloading their complaint larder.