Even now, it always comes down to time. I can always set aside a couple hours for just about anything (movie, going to the store, watching a game), but to set aside a whole day (packing up, driving a couple hundred miles, playing games) is really difficult.
I think that if more people had in-town leagues they would have no problem joining. That's the hard part though.
If I had at least 5 other guys here in Dayton, OH, I would be able to play a whole season in about a month.
DR