Valorant (esports) v regular sports

ok so I wanted to ask what makes valorant so different that so many players are 'happy' or 'satisfied' with their careers? That they have no hunger to win?

In almost every sport to be at the top level you need the hunger to succeed and the competitivness to strive to be the best you can be-but the more and more ive watched VCT this seems to be the opposite. Yes there are few players who have the hunger and passion but there are lots more who dont. Take s0m for example-he has the potential to be one of the best players in the world and he will retire at the end of this year at 22 to stream despite acomplishing nothing in his career. Take TenZ who was the best in 21 and one of the best in 24 who was just reentering his prime-he retires at the age 23 to stream. Take players like Marved or Demon1 who have lost the passion to win and take every game lax. Take every player or coach on mid to bottom tier teams that arent striving to win 100% of the time.

What im getting at is that there is a clear disparity here and I was wondering what the difference is that makes these players not care as much for the sport they play. Almost every profesional player in every sport makes 100x more than vct players and yet they continue to play with even more passion, where vct players will see money in the form of streaming and retire for that. Maybe that is a factor-that esport scene is unstable so they jump to leave when they get the money too, but for the majority of these players they will just end up going back to school or be blue collared workers. Another theory I have is that to be a profesional video game player you must not have had the same passion to succeed in life. Being a video game pro is looked down on in society whereas sports pros are praised. This leads very few people with potential in other facets in life into becoming pro players (although I think this is changing alot with the younger generation which is why they have the most passion out of everyone)

The ones that stream have no passion cuz streaming makes them more money and they mostly hate the game

i think in the case of s0m he earns more money streaming than from playing the game; also the scene isnt very developed so job security isnt really there for pros to feel comfortable playing if im guessing

You're right that esports and physical sports have very different mentalities and requirements. It’s much harder to reach the top in football, basketball, American football, or combat sports. Athletes in these fields have to grind not only to improve their skills but also to physically prepare their bodies. There are many hurdles to overcome before they can make it to a top professional team, and they have to pass both skill-based and physical challenges.

Not only do they have to develop their skills and physical fitness, but they also have to pass through the selection process of those with experience who have been in the industry for a long time. These veterans often look for more than just talent on the field—they also value mental strength and the ability to work as a team.

If you can reach the top in these sports and recognize how hard it is to get there, you’d rather die than retire at a young age. Many athletes win multiple world championship trophies but are still hungry for more.

And honestly. many of esports player just love to play video games not "the game" they compete on.