<<so what should we call these guys who prolly have more money than we could ever dream of and now presumably are playing just for the game. semiamateurs>>
I'd rather think you can earn half enough to live but only love wholly. Call them semi-retired.
***
A woman advertising for a professional, as opposed to a professional film-maker or ball-player, for example, is probably looking for a college educated salaried worker with above average income.
One predominantly female vocation, nursing, was or is in the midst of demanding it be regarded as a profession, presumably for advantages compensation.
Presumably, also, the professions arose with the advent and growth of the middle classes.
Not to mention the professional ball player's father who was never a professional coal miner.
"Professional" is a nuanced term, but it almost always stakes out a position in the labor market and a region of class.
