There are definitely "tournament" activities that are more winners take all than others. The stakes are probably actually higher to the degree consequences are stumbling down a dead-end path for years. I'm actually not convinced playing a sport in college while realizing you're not going to make it to the pros is such a terrible thing. Presumably they got something out of it. And lots of people play sports in college or do a multitude of other things that may--or may not--provide huge professional benefit.