I think you are reacting to something you imagined might happen in a world where every club was run cynically and poorly according to a stereotype you have made up . I have been involved in running clubs for years , as secretary, treasurer ,director , chair and so on. I don't do it as some sort of ego trip, nor to feel important , nor even to rip off our naive membership for my own benefit. I do it, like most people, simply because I have some skills which can be useful in helping a club run smoothly. That means looking after health and safety, sorting fish stockings (and getting consents ) , negotiating leases and rents , resolving disputes, managing accounts and insurance , offering training days to new members , sorting stiles and gates , sorting a website , doing risk assessments and a host of other stuff which is often tedious , time consuming, thankless and frustrating.
I'd rather watch the TV with a bottle of wine than endure some of the stuff involved , let alone listen to ill informed sniping , but it needs doing if a club is to continue offering fishing to its members . Worst of all, some of us do this for a membership which can take the work for granted , rarely even turns up to an AGM or contributes anything positive . Want to know how to get 50 people to inspect their shoes simultaneously? As chair of an AGM , ask for a volunteer to help the committee.
You might profess not to like clubs , and many aren't run perfectly, but anglers would have a hell of lot less fishing without them ...