Have you tried watching wrestling, judo, or no-gi BJJ?
Wrestling/no-gi BJJ doesn't have a gi, so players can't lock down their opponents as much and there's a lot more movement in neutral. And Judo has a gi, but the way you win is via high-amplitude throws, which is a much more spectacular win condition. I think they're both much more exciting to watch than regular gi BJJ, especially for non-practitioners.
I think BJJ's main spectator-unfriendly flaws are that it has a gi and doesn't reward high-amplitude movements. So, unsurprisingly, the metagame has evolved around locking down your opponents.
(Background: I did Judo as a kid, and do BJJ now.)
Wrestling/no-gi BJJ doesn't have a gi, so players can't lock down their opponents as much and there's a lot more movement in neutral. And Judo has a gi, but the way you win is via high-amplitude throws, which is a much more spectacular win condition. I think they're both much more exciting to watch than regular gi BJJ, especially for non-practitioners.
I think BJJ's main spectator-unfriendly flaws are that it has a gi and doesn't reward high-amplitude movements. So, unsurprisingly, the metagame has evolved around locking down your opponents.
(Background: I did Judo as a kid, and do BJJ now.)