There are leagues for people who don't "no-life" the game. Think of little league games or small LAN tournaments at conventions. People do enjoy those types of

There are leagues for people who don't "no-life" the game. Think of little league games or small LAN tournaments at conventions. People do enjoy those types of settings, you just wouldn't tell from media coverage because they only take events with multi-thousand dollar prizes seriously. Also, I think your second paragraph contradicts the first one. "Everyone who plays the game is ranked somewhere on the gigantic ladder and, if you're good enough, you can play against the pros if you get ranked up there." How does one get good enough? By being one of "the select few who burn away 10s of hours a day no-lifing the stuff." The reason why people want to watch "8 foot freaks of nature and guys who have been playing professionally since age 8" is exactly because they offer the best possible gameplay a human being can achieve. That's why they're professionals. If you want to make a living competing against average players, you could just stream on Twitch.