1. Perhaps I misspoke saying "college" football. (I'm canadian so we don't have college football the same way here)

2. I don't really see how any of those facts you said are mutually exclusive with what I said.

3. If you think about football as a career, it's a goldmine of people who didn't make the cut and can enlist.

4. If you think about football's skill development... it very much aligns with military teamwork etc.

5. Football selects for people who will follow orders, put themselves in harms way, and focus on the objective.

https://the-cauldron.com/the-nfl-is-one-giant-military-recruitment-tool-ae28276185e4

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/17ccbz4/when_and_why_did_american_football_games_become/

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/11/the-nfl-and-the-military-a-love-affair-as-strange-and-cynical-as-ever