I do not compete, nor am I sponsored. Most customers that own TT's are not competitors nor are they sponsored.
However, I do agree on one point. They are often very serious shooters. If not very serious, then simply not limited by financial considerations in the way many others are. In the grand scheme of things, when you consider the cost associated with the volume of shooting many of us do... a $4700 scope is pretty cheap when weighed against barrels and components during a year of testing, competing, or colony varmint shooting.
Instead of talking about optics... lets talk about boats. I know very little about boats... but I'd be willing to bet there are more than sponsored competitive fishermen buying $100,000 bass boats.
The lakes sure are littered with them... they can't all be competing. lol