Fact:
Unquestionably, attendances have risen since the Premier League was formed and this has occurred across all four divisions. This is an undeniably good thing, unless people want football to be some kind of weird cultish, niche pastime. So the Premier League may have grown the gap between the leagues, but every league is also stronger too. You can see all the data on this superb website (you'll need to click on England, but can check all leagues)
http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm
Unclear:
Would the rises have happened without the Premier League? Could they have occurred without some of the 'worst excesses' of the Premier League (ie, additional wealth, all seaters, high ticket prices, all the glitz and glamour etc)? Possibly so. It also happened in Germany and France and other countries. In the same time crowds have fallen elsewhere too (Italy) or stagnated (Spain). It's impossible to know, but whilst I suspect the Premier League contributed to it, I think football was changing anyway. Premier League helped to turn the page on Hooliganism, Heysel, Hillsborough etc.
Opinion:
Perfectly valid to think, irrespective of the above, that football is now less wholesome, less enjoyable, less meaningful and less fun than before. I'm probably inclined to agree, although I was only 11 when the Premier League started and for me personally the rebrand did far more damage to shake my childlike enthusiasm for football than the Premier League, but lets not go there..
Overall I think the German model is probably better. Perhaps we are slowly realising that and rectifying some things, with a form of terracing returning and the Ł30 away ticket price cap etc.