This proof of work doesn't mean crypto currency, it doesn't mean coins, it doesn't mean buying or selling tokens. It means proof of work. More exactly, having to put your computer at work in order to solve an equation. If you do that, the server lets you in. If you don't, you can't enter.
This is the original proof of work. It's also proof of work when you solve a captcha, it's just a different proof of work, a human, mental one. Here, it's a computer one, meaning in order to access a website a thousand times, you would have to run the proof of work a thousand times, so a thousand times more ressource.
I really wished you gave the article a read, before saying Torproject is a shame. Maybe you are?