No Stupid Questions

Let him try to aim for it..... As long as he doesn't neglect his education and other opportunities then there's no harm in giving him some years to figure this out himself the hard way.

If your asking, you probably already know the answer.

Maybe you could have said something like "A top player needs to know math, because they've got to do a lot of investing. they should have otehr languages, because they'll be playing all over the world. Science and computers because..."

You need to have a sit down with him. He's 16 so he should be able to be take in whatever you'll say. Don't degrade him, don't talk down to him or anything.

But tell him that he has a future ahead of him, whatever it is but futures also have different pathways to choose from. The wrong futures are the kind of futures where no matter how much devotion, ambition and time spent it is to drive towards a particular future, it isn't that path. And that's okay because the world isn't over for him yet. The only thing your son is going to regret the most, is not trying more things while he has the youth and the time to do so.

That is key, is to try many things and see what really sticks.

Same scenario with my son years back. He loved basketball and his skinny, 5ft 8" body was not going to propell him to NBA stardom. My wife accused me of crushing my son's spirits. I never discouraged him from the sport and went to every high school and travel ball ($$$) game where he mostly sat on the bench. He's in his 30s now and planning a family, so the dreams are different. I don't think I did any lasting damage.

But, would I do it the same way again? It's nuanced to be sure. We want our children to be prepared for their futures and excel, not wash out. What I would do is look for ways to help him discover, on his own, where his real talent lies and comes to the realization himself.l and be there to soften the blow to that dream. Then, if his passion is still football, help him discover all the different career options are available, on and off the field, that can keep him close to his passion.

I hope this helps. If you're asking, you're likely a better dad that many out there.

Oh, and his mother is a c#$t and I divorced her shitty ass. ;)

You should support your kid, even if you're not convinced of his chances of making it. Anything else is just going to permanently damage your relationship. The best you can do is make sure he has a plan B. If he's good in school he's well on his way to that, so not much to worry about.

Roy Kent here.

He'll either come to realize the truth on his own, or prove you wrong. Either way, you should support him.

You're literally a professional and your first thought isn't to use your own skills to coach him to get better?

All industries that pay well are competitive.

Yes you are, let him try & fail. You should be there to cushion the blow & give him full points for trying.

You are not a jerk IMO! But I believe you should have done it somehow different, like tell him to try other things in case football career does not work out for him, or to always think about another career.
and of course what others already said.

Perhaps not necessarily wrong, but people sometimes don't like hearing the truth. I don't agree with the other comments that you should support him - to me, that sounds like bad parenting to not at minimum set up a backup plan when things start to fall apart.

My take on this situation is that you may have to tell him in a more subtle manner. Fortunately, professional athletes are known for being notoriously competitive, where even talented people can lose out on an opportunity simply out of bad luck. This could give you a way to voice your concerns in a way that doesn't directly imply that he's not cut out for the job, ie "you still need to be very lucky to go pro. I was very fortunate, but we shouldn't be counting on luck for your living. You can still try for it, but I really think you should also have some backup options if things don't work out"