Rob,
You are right about Mike, but he's trying to make living at what he loves. Mike is one of those rare entreprenurial guys who is very articulate. Perfect for videos and BassU. Plus, it's pretty tough to justify fishing all the tournaments with the costs vs. payouts ratio unless you make a lot of cuts or just have money to burn.

Sponsors love this guy because he can break down very complicated concepts and articulate them to/from a fisherman's perspective. He can help us understand the how/when/why to use a brand or product. As with most good fishermen, he is very cerebral.
my 2¢