Just because you can’t understand there own reasoning doesn’t mean it’s the saddest thing you’ve heard. Ironically, enough in your list you mist the 100% most common reason I hear why people are starting to think about not playing in larger events. It’s restrictions. That’s the reason why I’m done traveling for events myself. I am A restricted. Have I ever won a tournament, nope. Will I ever win a tournament, probably not but I’m still A restricted. The part that bugs me is that I go to these events now, don’t qualify and can’t play in B while people that I consider better than me (that just don’t travel) get to play in B. They win money in B, and I don’t have the chance. But for me, qualifying isn’t fun, it’s the bracket play that I enjoy. Being A restricted and not being good enough to realistically win anything is what puts sour grapes in a lot of peoples mouths.
I understand the argument on why, it’s because it’s felt that someone in the top 500 is to good to play in anything other than A as the other players wont stand a chance at winning if they were allowed in B. But, IMHO, that segregates a large number of people that now stand really no chance in A and now no chance in B. I’ve made the decision that I wont travel anymore unless I’m not restricted anymore. Whether the community feels that’s a good thing (that people like me stop coming to events) or a bad thing, I don’t know.