Not one to ever defend jewish practices, but:
>you are expected to own the latest mainline game for a tournament you'll compete in, yes
>Champions will explicitly be free
>there is a free plan on Home with enough features to let you participate on tours unimpeded
>premium online is industry standard at this point, whether you like it or not
If you want to become a "pro" player, surely this is not a big ask?
Also, even if you are some brownoid 3rd-world hellspawn, you can get more than enough money to afford all of the above, even the premium versions, by simply selling the participation prizes from regionals. If you're actually good then you'll get cash for competing and at least a minor sponsorship if you aren't braindead.
