Support Metaphor and Discussion

You remember as a kid when your brother or friend told you they'd give you 50 cents if you let them do some terrible thing to you, like kick you in the nuts? Was it worth it?

That's what Riot is doing with the Support role right now. They've made it miserable to play, and they know it. Evidence of which is that they're now giving you a token compensation for being willing to take it in 'nads and play Support.

Wouldn't it be better if they just allowed the Support characters some actual ability to influence the game, and stopped adding support characteristics to every other character? Why play a support character, even in the support role, when you can do almost as much good AND do damage as other characters?