I've gambled on US sports since 2011. There were a few times when I successfully took a bankroll of $20 and turned a 16x profit into $320 for fun. Those days could be gone. Levels of corruption in the officiating, judging and regulation of sporting events have skyrocketed making it difficult to be profitable. Athletes themselves appear to be trending towards becoming more corrupt and compromised.
In the past, I would watch sporting events and often be inspired by the level of professionalism and pride athletes took in competing. Sports these days are becoming harder to watch. Standards are on the decline, at least in the united states. Are similar trends being manifest elsewhere in the world? The US does exhibit oppressive regulation as far as sports gambling goes, while the rest of the world adopts far more liberal policies.
I like the Idea of OP with the safety net. Having to take your losses and implementing a plan to at the very least recoup your loss should be a basic plan of a gambler. Especially if you're calculating the odds yourself, since everything is basically on your hands. As for making a living with sports betting, I'd hardly doubt it though, I'd rather advise be a sports analyst or sports commentator or something. Could be a lot more useful and your research could be quite entertaining to other people.