I think the best argument for our current system is that it still promotes activity. Over half of the TPE you earn from donations cannot simply be claimed. 6 out of the 11 TPE that you can receive from donating is in the form of a doubles week which requires you to do a point task. Of the three leagues you mentioned we're the least bad for "pay to win" in that regard, at least in my own honest opinion. I'm not in the SBA or EFL anymore, but from what I understand they have a system in place that allows you to pay and receive capped TPE for the entire season. That allows anyone who can afford it to buy it and then dip for the rest of the season activity-wise and still have a good player. Leagues that allow you to earn with very little effort seem to end up with very few active members in the long run. (GOMHL, rip).
I do not believe an extra 11 TPE is necessarily "pay to win" either, especially with the randomness of the sim engine. Once a player reaches approximately that 700 TPA mark, all players success is basically in the hands of the sim league gods at that point. My last player's best season was in his last and after he heavily regressed, just as a personal anecdote in that regard. Very thought provoking article and it's interesting how the money league users view us that way. I honestly had no idea. 10/10