I don't see any of that going on during any sort of real competitive play. Competition really brings out the worst in some people. Between all of the cheating, lying, arguing, and poor sportsmanship that I've witnessed in nearly 7 years of competitive play, I'm really not sure why it took me this long to move on.
I don't know of anyone that has any sort of real career plus a family that meets this criteria. What I have instead witnessed is great players being pulled away from the game by the everyday demands and responsibilities of real life. If you don't think that having those sort of things directly affects your ability to play, then I suggest you go do 2 hours doing laps in the pool. One by yourself, and the second with a baby in one hand and your boss on a cellphone in the other to get some idea of the difference these things can make on your performance. You will try to keep up and for a while you might, but eventually, you will fall behind... considerably.
What I said is that if you have a balanced life, you are distinctly disadvantaged against those that choose instead to specialize in just one thing. It is very difficult to throw down $50 time and again essentially betting on yourself at tournaments against competition that has 3 times the amount of free time to practice than you do.
Yep. It's what I've seen, so it is my viewpoint that I chose to share.