Because I want to play it (live, non-beta) sooner rather than later? Which is my sincere and honest opinion, which I have a right to.
Sigh…why don’t you think like me? My thoughts are the right thoughts, and anyone who thinks different is a cretin. My opinions are truth. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.
History has shown us this is absolutely correct. Beta for Azeroth was a real thing. Blizzard ignored glaring issues and player feedback, then promptly deleted the beta forums once the expansion released. The people that think actual focused beta testing is going on right now are delusional. If Blizzard was serious about polishing the game for release they would be going about the beta in a totally different way.
That aside, this game has already gone off the rails with the cash grabs. Not too long ago the idea of buying gold for cash sanctioned by Blizzard was unfathomable, but as Blizzard cheerleaders on the forums are constantly reminding us, Blizzard is a company in it to make money. Apparently this means they can be as anti-consumer and borderline exploitative as they want, so why is paying for beta over the line?
IMO classic went off the rails when they announced that demo at Blizzcon for a $50 entrance fee.
If they can monetize it they will. If players pay the money they will just monetize more.