Replying your sentences I think top players are offensive player because it is effective style and they use what they use because it fits best on their game. The offensive accessories are available for everybody and all people have choosen offensive accessories because the want to play such style they expected...
Going forward on your principle I think that top players would suffer from the def bats and they couldn't play their game, what made them offensive. I cannot see who would remain in the TT circles. (Could you watch Timo Boll as he is pushing and lobbing the ball?
) We could watch as boring matches as hardbat matches are. For some time. Than the manufacturer of TT equipment would make bats and rubbers that can achieve the same performance as it had been before. Even without glues.
I am not sure but I feel that we should approach this question from another viewpoint(s):
Which is the bigger part of the audience?
Which kind of game they prefer?
Is it true that people do not like TT because of its speed?
It is possible to play quick game with eg.:STIGA Destroyer 1.8, isn't it?
Is it possible to play so spectacular with 30% thinner rubbers?
Why the majority (OFF) should adjust themself to the minority (DEF)?
Is it fair that somebody with lack of certain skills can use long pimple softs and can play agains loopers without knowing anything about spin of the ball?
Does somebody know Ivan & Dragutin Surbek? They were defenders in the old days. They are over 60 and I saw them at a senior championship in Hungary. They played fully offensive style (Sriver FX max on both side glued before every match) because their old style has not been effetive anymore.