I remember when there were no compound bows. Literally, within ten years of their development, at least 90% of bowhunters were using a compound and it seemed the number of bowhunters had doubled. I have not seen an increase in the number of fishermen since the advent of ffs like the increase I saw in bow hunters in general, and there are still a lot of boats out there without ffs.
In my 70 years spending time in the outdoors, I would say the compound bow had the biggest impact. I lived in GA at the time the first came out and the same things were said about compounds as ffs. Cheaters, took all the sport out of bow hunting, didnt have to know how to hunt to kill a deer - almost exactly the same. GA was one of the last states to legalize them - if not the last.
Now look at bow hunting - almost everyone uses a compound bow - a “cheater” as my dad called my new bow when I showed up from college with a compound. Now, the folks who are using a “cheater” from 1978 are calling a crossbow a “cheater”.
There will likely always be advancements in hunting and fishing sports that folks question as being sporting.