To dream the impossible dream
(media.scored.co)
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Those are also barely "careers" in the long term. You age out of them fast due to reaction times and dexterity needed and, unlike other professional sports with similar issues, you don't have the fame or millions to carry you through the rest of your life. And that's in perfect scenarios where the company behind the game doesn't ruin it (Hi Overwatch!) or you simply mastered a tactic that becomes obsolete or nerfed.
So the joke still works, because none of those guys are getting retirement benefits or a salary. They are just coasting off tournament wins and sponsers, which is a fickle life.
Twitch streamers can still make good money. That requires a certain amount of charisma or cleavage however.
You already said Charisma
And I'd wager 99.9% of them are also coasting on their current income with little plans for 5 years from now, let alone retirement, if they even can keep going that long.
That's for the handful who weren't gross autistic wierdos. Which is why they were capable of going pro to begin with but makes them worthless as a personality streamer.
All the money accrues with a tiny minority at the top, and 99% get nothing. That's true of both esports and streamers.
By all means, have fun with your life, but have a backup plan.
Largely true, but the 2019 Fortnite champ won $3M. The champion CoD team last year won $1M. If they wisely invest that kind of money, they can be well set up, or at least much more comfortable, for the rest of their lives. Now, they may not do this, but this is no different than any other pro athlete (who also may not be that famous; who cares about some random defensive back in Cleveland?).
That's a pretty big If, one that I'd wager most of them do not succeed at. Almost every "champ" you see is living in an epic gamer compound and has all sorts of awesome things that their money was spent on. And that's just for the champs, which means most people aren't making a fraction of that for their entire years work.
And while its equally true for regular athletes, those guys also are still peak physical specimens who are probably at least somewhat capable of being social. In stark contrast to most pro-gamers who are usually the epitome of nerd stereotypes about physical capabilities and social interactions. The handful who aren't usually quickly devolve to just basic Streamers instead.
Which the "youtuber/streamer" industry has much the same issues of longevity, but at least isn't hardgated by age.
Sure, but the opportunity is there.
While they're working out, yes. Tons of former athletes just become fat and out of shape, though.
Quite possibly, but not always. "Uhhhhhh, obviously they're a great team, uhhhhhhh, at the end of the day uhhhhhh we have to play harder to get the W" is not exactly peak charisma.
Also, this assumes they haven't been injured during their career -- which could reduce both their charisma and physical fitness. Family Guy did a funny bit about this.