I like watching matches in person. When CoVID was not the universe we were confined in, seeing people play at lots of different levels was, and will be again, a great experience.
One thing I have learned from seeing matches in person and then seeing matches on video is how, video is really not kind to what you see in matches. It is almost like it amplifies flaws. I have seen matches in person and then watched the video of the same match and thought, it looked so much more amazing in person.
Now the top Chinese players are amazing. But, seeing players who are Elite amateurs, or lower level pros (between top 200-700 in the world) in matches live is still better than watching anything on video. At least, in my opinion.
If someone wants to restrict his/her watching of TT to only the best of the best of the best, that is fine. But it would really be problematic for the sport if everyone felt that way. And, if this is about loving TT and wanting the sport to grow, everyone having the perspective of only wanting to watch CNT players....well....the financial side of TT is bad enough as it is.
But it is true, CNT players are PROFESSIONAL. They get trained professionally. They get paid by the government, (even the ones you never get to see play, they are salaried). So, it is like Soviet athletes in the Era when Soviet amateur athletes dominated amateur sports because they were scouted, housed, trained and paid by the state.
Most of the top TT players from other countries get there by starting young and training hard, privately, independently. So, in some sense, it is impressive that they can even remotely come close to competing with the CNT athletes. It is sad. But.....reality is not always how we would like it to be.
I remember one time, going to a futbol (soccer in America) match. It was three matches actually. An all day event. I can't really remember who the first matches were. I think one of the teams may have been Trinada/Tobago. Well, the first two matches seemed fine. The teams were okay. The competitiveness was fine. But the final match of the day was Mexico vs Costa Rica. And when those two teams came on, it was clear that we had been watching lower level play in the previous matches. It was very evident. Sort of like watching elite amateur TT players and then seeing top pros. The talent differential was clearly noticeable, even for someone who had never been to a match before like me.
The Chinese government really does everything that can be done to cultivate top athletes in TT. It would be nice if other countries did that. But I don't think there are any other governments that care quite that much. So, it is fair to say that comparing the top CNT players to players from other countries is, in some sense like comparing THE TOP Players to mid-level pros.
But, if you really love TT, you should be able to find some gems in any competitive match.