Interesting.
An honest professional athlete would tell the kids what happens when you bet the farm on being a professional athlete and don't make it. The honest professional athlete would tell them it's all all-or-nothing bet, and the most likely outcome is NOTHING. Zip. Zero. Nada. Want fries with that?
What happens if you bet the farm on being an astronaut and don't make it? Do you even have the slightest clue? No matter. I'll tell you. You still have your pilot's license. You still have a few thousand hours on your ticket. You still have your engineering degree(s). You still have job prospects out the wazoo ... all of which are inherent to doing the things you need to do if you're trying to be an astronaut.
If your great ball-throwing hero really did have a backup plan (one which of necessity would have nothing to do with throwing orange balls), telling the kids about THAT would be the most valuable thing he could do.
How do you know he doesn’t have a back up plan and that he wouldn’t deliver that message?