Now that doesnt mean you have to fail at something to become successful but if you look at all the basketball players in the NBA, a very small percentage of players came from rich families. That means all of them had to go through adversity to get to where they want to be. They realized what it takes to become what they want to become, so they put in the work and had to fight through all the adversity.
This doesn't just apply to NBA players or other athletes that come from the bottom, this can apply to anyone. They could be stuck in poverty and there only way out could be through their grades in school to be able to go to college and get a good job. It helps more than some high schoolers think to get good grades. If you think of your grades as scholarship money for college then you'll be able to go to a good college then get a good