You would think even amateurs wouldn't have to actually pay to compete, there is no purse for winning either. They put tens of thousands into prep expenses, put their health on the line, and then are asked to pay all sorts of fees, aren't allowed to even have a helper there, and only the promoters and the fed makes money. The competitors often feel they have to eat a lot of shit to compete, the fees aren't major all things considered but it's the principle, humiliating.
Did you hit your head or something? Amateurs competing for free? You realize that this is a business? And no one is forcing amateurs to compete it's their choice. Not sure if you were ever involved in organizing a professional event, but the cost of doing a show, venue, lights, staff etc... can range from $20,000 to $50,000 depending on the venue. And before you question the pricing, I know first hand because I have been involved in throwing several professional events (corporate banquets, tradeshows etc). Just renting a simple banquet hall for the night for example, you are not only dealing with paying for the actual hall rental, but if you want music/lights, you are forced to go with their 'in house' service (they will claim due to insurance and because the equipment that is there is their property) and that service for one night, adds a nice $5000 to the bill. Lot's of hidden charges like that.
So as far as throwing amateur shows for free, are you willing to pay out of pocket, out of the goodness of your heart? I don't know too many people that would (except for Jake Wood, and even with his close to 300 million networth, would quickly go broke trying to pay for every NPC show

)
Oh and lastly, preps costing tens of thousands of dollars... Not sure what these guys are buying, but if you can't prep for an amateur show on under $1000, your dealer is either ripping you off hard, or you truly are in the wrong sport. It's 12 week prep, so $300 a month should be plenty to cover supplements. Go crazy and spend $2000, but I have no clue what you need to buy for tens of thousands... (food you will be buying whether you compete or not)