Are you referring to the just completed Afreeca Starleague with $21k prize pool? Only the top two got more than a typical month's paycheck (winner did get over $10k) and it lasted a couple of months. There also haven't been any other events even close to that size this year for BW. Pro players don't typically live off tournament winnings.
That's the one! The winner pulled in $13,500 USD. I must have misinterpreted "paycheck" in your comment "nobody is getting a paycheck for playing competitive games."
[edit] Ah, $21k, not $31k. Thanks.
[edit] And yes, it was recently completed and isn't actually ongoing. Not sure what I was smoking when I made so many false statements.
Yeah you could've well meant the VANT event, I forgot about Afreeca just announcing another large one. Who knows, with how things are going we might see professional play again in Brood War and of course some of the current players were at the top when it existed.