Less and less people were going to the circus. I suspect television, televised sports, video games, and things like that likely had something to do with it. I do think it could have been saved. It simply needed to embrace the technology and might actually have to travel less.
That isn't the legacy though.
The legacy comes in the form of one statement associated (but not proven) by P.T. Barnum.
That statement: "There's a sucker born every minute"
We certainly prove this every day. [ 1 | 2 ]
Until recently I thought those of us in the United States had a monopoly on that phrase. If you wanted to find a sucker don't throw a stone in the U.S. it likely will hit one. (see the hyperlink 1 and 2 above for examples)
Though with the crazed immigration policies in the European Union over the past few years it has been proven that those of us in the U.S. no longer have a monopoly.
We are trying to get it back though. We are actually fighting to defend a law that pays for the education of criminal trespassers, while having problems paying for our own citizens education without putting them into massive debt.
I don't know that this compares to things like Sweden deciding to stop investigating rape, because they are having trouble keeping up with it. I wonder if they will finally back off of Julian Assange now. I mean they are having actual rapes regularly now and it is just part of the culture of their immigrants so apparently that makes it okay.
P.T. Barnum you evil bastard, look at the curse you have revealed to the world!!!!!
Yes, I know it was already there gleefully messing with all of our lives, but did you truly have to give nefarious people ideas and a marketing slogan?!?!