Entry Fees and such

So I didn't make it to the Squam Lake tourney. I was so excited about it that I literally didn't get any sleep the night before, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise because it turned out I couldn't afford the entry fees. It's been a goal of mine to fish one tournament this year, with the hope that I can fish an entire trail next year (as a non-boater). So I'm not in any hurry to do any of this, and as disappointing as it was to back out of yesterday's event I know that the time will come.
Which makes me think--how "bad" is it to pay such high entry fees? As a writer, I know how odd the pay structure of things can be. I published a small book about three years ago and found that my publisher wanted me to pay for personal copies. At first I was a bit suspicious but later found out it was the standard. Still, I felt that it was wrong, since I knew that no one would read my book, never mind pay for it. So, in a sense, I was covering the costs of printing it myself, which is the same as self-publishing--something that is disreputable in publishing. In a similar sense, it seems like anglers are paying each other with their own money. (I realize that is very awkwardly worded.) The Elites underwent a reduction in their schedule this year, and they'll follow the same format next year, of 8 regular season tournaments and two post-season events. Along with this restructuring of the schedule came a reduction in entry fees--about $40,000 for the year. (I have no idea what it cost in the past.) Speaking briefly with Elite angler John Murray, I found out that the season went from something like 12-14 events to the current 8. According to Murray, part of the change was because of the price of gas, though it seems from numerous online and print sources that the general costs (i.e. entry fees) weighed against the current financial climate led to the decision. All of this begs the question, what happens to those fees once they're collected? Obviously, B.A.S.S. is a professional organization with a professional staff that deserves to be paid for their time. Anyone who has been to one of their events or watched them on tv knows how well-run they are. Yet if one takes into consideration that in a eight tournament season, plus the Bassmaster Classic, B.A.S.S. pays out roughly $1,300,000 to the first place finishers alone, then it seems that, as in publishing, anglers are simply paying one another with their entry fees. Clearly, prize money for those finishing from 2nd to 100 should be taken into account, not to mention year-end awards like the Angler of the Year. (At the last regular season event at Oneida Lake prize money for those finishing from 2nd to 50th accounted for roughly $510,000; no one below 5oth collected a check.) So that's about $600,000 per regular season event, or $4.8 million per season, just for regular season events. If all 100 anglers are able to pay for the season's entries $4,000,000 is available. So, clearly, B.A.S.S. must get additional money from sponsors, which include ESPN, the parent company which bought them sometime in the last ten years and which also brings television advertising revenues with it. At any rate, it does seem like the biggest chunk of the payout change comes from the anglers themselves. Is this backwards? Well, I do know that if I don't do a good job at work I don't necessarily have to fork money over to those who outperform me. Then again, my hours may be cut--which is a bit like an Elite angler not getting the chance to fish past the second day if he doesn't make the top 50 cut. At any rate, this is clearly a pretty complex matter and does involve something we've probably all heard about at one time or another--Other People's Money. It's the only way anyone ever gets rich. It just seems kind of unfortunate that one day the check you earn may come from a colleague you may end up giving the money back to on another day.