I guess you could make a case that more people are playing SFV for the money than before simply due to the prize pools being bigger than what 4 was (and certainly 3, lul). Additionally, people want to get sponsored, so it makes sense to play the game that has the biggest draw for their sponsors.
On the flipside, there are more people showing up to CPT events than before (at least, last year, which is probably due to SFV hype moreso than the game itself), more entrants at EVO last year (again, hype, but still), and more top players being highlighted. SFV as a job isn't viable for 99 percent of the players. Even people who are sponsored rarely ever get anymore more than being able to be flown out to a few events outta the year. Echo Fox's salary shift is a rarity, which is why most players hold 9-5s.
It's not really the fault of eSports for "forcing" people to play because there still isn't enough cash to go around to keep people doing it en masse and not (partially) enjoy it. It's still a competitive hobby for most which a very, very slim chance to earn a buck. The allure of eSports money ends once people figure out that the chance of winning is much, much lower than the effort they have to put in something they don't like.
That doesn't mean everyone is doing this for fun. Phenom doesn't like the game. K-Brad likes SF4 better. A few Japanese players would rather go back to 4 or 3. But that's just part of it. Some players play because it's the most competitive game, quality be damned. Some play because they like it. It's a mix, and it's always been like that for SF.
The "only doing it for the money' thing is just weird because most of the people playing aren't going to make enough to justify the time spent getting smashed in the face with CCs.
