Just because they get paid to play does not make them 'professional'
As soon as $$$$ are involved it stops being a sport and being played as a sport and becomes a business and like any business, they want a return for the $$$$ paid. Occasionally an act of sportsmanship is displayed by some of the paid sports people but most are a low way from being professional
according to the accepted definition linked below, these players are professionals.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/professionalthe payment
alone does not define them as professionals, as the definition describes. it
can define them, but does not necessarily have to.
if people deem your skills worthy enough to pay you to perform them, then why is that not deemed 'professional'?
you can be a 'professional' in whatever you do and still act like a knob. that applies to everything, not just sport.
if they are not playing sport, then what are they doing? cricket, by definition, is a sport.