Most people are quick to point out the small chances of a football player ever making a career out of playing football.

With good intentions, coaches often give some variation of the following message whenever discussing a football player’s future: Very, very few athletes will ever make it as pro athletes.

Of course, who can argue that point? Even making a professional roster is an honor reserved for a tiny percentage of people, and the number of actual impact players on pro teams is decidedly smaller.

The coach’s point is usually a good one: Ultimately, it’s better to make your No. 1 focus academics, since you chances for success in life are much greater if you get an education of some kind.

Meridian High School head football coach Larry Weems, however, takes exception to this notion of “few people make a career out of football.” Obviously, he realizes most athletes will never get to the professional level in the sport he coaches. That doesn’t mean, though, that developing as a football player is not impactful.

Wednesday morning, Weems watched with pride as several of his senior athletes signed letters of intent to continue their football careers at the college level. Defensive end Kenney Wooten will play at Itawamba Community College for the next two seasons. Offensive tackle Deonte Brooks signed with SWAC champion Alcorn State. Quarterback J’Mar Smith inked with Louisiana Tech to play both football and baseball. Defensive end Marsa Hudnall is expected to pick a college in the near future as well.

These players, as well as Jamal Horn, who is already enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, will have a chance to get, at the very least, two years of a college education without racking up student loan debt. As someone who makes monthly payments to the federal government, I can attest to the attractiveness of a free college education.

“Why don’t they shoot for academic scholarships,” some will argue, as if getting a full ride for athletic reasons is beneath getting a full ride for academic reasons. A full ride is a full ride, and not everyone is a 4.0 GPA, 26-plus ACT student who somehow manages to be involved in eleventy billion extra-cirricular activities.

No, I’m not diminishing what a special accomplishment earning an academic scholarship is, nor am I saying one shouldn’t be proud for receiving one. What I am say is, for many, that’s not always a realistic option. It doesn’t matter how you earn a full ride — as long as you take advantage.

Sure, most athletes will never make it as a pro, but they have the chance to turn their athletic success into a degree, and thus set themselves up for a successful post-undergraduate life.

Not only that, but playing a sport like football offers a multitude of life lessons for those who participate, which makes these athletes better prepared for the world they face once football does come to a close.

That was Weems’ point. Athletes can “make a career out of football,” even if they never play in the NFL. They can turn football into a degree and turn their experiences into a blueprint to take things head on when life inevitably happens.

And let’s be honest: If everyone listened to the “few people make it in sports professionally” mantra, no one would play professional sports. I get keeping expectations realistic, but is there really so much harm in dreaming?

Should Patriots defensive back and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler have taken that advice to heart?

So if your son likes throwing the football around in the backyard, see if he wants to join a local youth team. If your daughter finds herself shooting hoops in the driveway during her free time, let her know there are opportunities to do so with others who love the sport.

Heck, if your daughter likes playing football, introduce her to Meridian High School’s Kelly Bator. Not only would she, or your son, enjoy the experience, but the things he or she could take away from the sport could prove invaluable down the road.

Drew Kerekes is the sports editor at The Meridian Star. He can be reached at dkerekes@themeridianstar.com.