1.) It is not even true that all athletes you watch on TV would be professionals. A lot of them are supposed amateurs, not getting actual salary at all.

2.) Like common, it is even fairly common for people to pay literally nothing to anyone and watch professional sports for free.

3.) Those who are paid are NOT paid by the watchers at all. Not even by the TV itself. Their actual employers are multiple steps away from broadcaster.

> if not through subscriptions or tickets, then just by watching the ads on tv.

That makes them products themselves. They are not paying by watching ads, their time is sold to the real customer who is whoever paid for ads.