The class element here is not irrelevent. Although it has been changing in recent years, Rugby Union (*in England and Scotland at least) has always been a sport of the relatively privileged, those who have easier access (because of family money and upbringing) to things like university education so they can make these kinds of decisions. I'm afraid it's just not the case that those who have access to these things have 'earned' them any more than those who have less easy access.
Cycling, like Rugby League and Football and Boxing amongst others, was for a long time a working class sport, and in many ways, it still is. The highly educated are a minority amongst professional cyclists, and so your comparison is not really valid. For many people who don't have the range of opportunities of most of those who have traditionally played Union*, sport offers a way up and out. People put their bodies on the line for the sport, its sponsors, media, the fans etc. - because that's what they've got. And they don't necessarily have all those other options to fall back on. So, in these cases, it does make far more sense to think about what the sport's authorities and teams can do for those people after they can no longer compete.
