Expected outcomes are a basic tool for making decisions under uncertain conditions.

For each NFL player there are a solid thousand that tried and failed to make it, even after similar energy expenditures in high school / college.

The cost of that failed effort vastly exceeds the total benefit to this cohort of prospective players. Contrast this with nearly any other career. The energy expenditure costs us, as a people, drastically more than we benefit. The shiny salaries of the few mask a LOT of wasted opportunity. If we're looking at entire societies, and how the NFL affects them, this is all relevant.

The outcome should make some common sense to you. You have about a lotto player's chance of making any money at all. Whereas with the lotto you are gambling your own money, with the NFL you are gambling with your time and energy.

Again, contrast with nearly any other career. The drastic imbalances in the numbers are inherently exploitative. More "earn your freedom" than "build a career".