Who ever said your level has anything to do with your "rank"? Your "level" probably determines what unit modifiers, skins, and other extra stuff you have access to. I imagine the competitive ladder is done completely separate from this.
Think of it like CoD or WoW. Sure the higher level players have access to more stuff, but the measure of skill has no correlation (ex. k/d or arena).
Just watched "Flight" Denzel Washington stars as an alcoholic pilot that made a miracle emergency landing in a field after a mechanical failure (6 of 100+ passengers died). He battles his addiction while waiting to testify at a government hearing, but if they discover he was drunk while flying there will be a long prison sentence. 4/5 stars