It's not just the players, it's the culture. Sometimes it's the people around them; the people who are looking after them - the money they're given. Some of the families give up their jobs and live off their sons. That would never have happened 10 years ago.
My background was computer science and business school, so eventually I worked my way up where I was running product groups - development, testing, marketing, user education.
No matter what the role, you're trying to do the impossible - make a living in show business.