The only people I've ever heard say "I could've gone pro in ________ if I really tried/cared" are bad at the sport. No one ever thinks they could've gone pro in something they're already excellent at.

Like, I guess you hear stories about "I almost went pro in football but I didn't want to give up drinking". I heard a story like this from a guy who literally played one game in college and then quit.<br><br>But I can't imagine LeBron James saying "Yeah I could've gone pro in lacrosse, I was pretty good at that too."<br><br>Or Aaron Judge saying "I almost went pro in surfing. I was amazing at it but I just love baseball more. But I could've gone pro."<br><br>No, what actually happens is there's some fat guy with a beer gut saying "I could've went pro in football, I was a great linebacker. I just couldn't give up drinking."<br><br>Why do people say this? Like, I get that you can change your life direction in your 20s because you want to do other things, but to say "I could've gone pro"? That just makes you sound fat and old.