[Not devonin]

This is part of why the eSports industry is using the term eSports and not referring to what's being done as "playing games" because games and sports are distinct kinds of things.

I don't understand what you're trying to say by saying "is more respect deserved?? I think not. Respect is some thing that I view as a choice of an individual to give" because those two things aren't mutually exclusive at all.

You the individual can choose to respect professional athletes or not as a class or individuals as you like, but the question is about the greater societal perception of the field as a career, as a pursuit and as a spectacle to watch.