Sure, you can work on my toilet, but I'm not going to pay you like I would a plumber, cause you're a handyman. I wouldn't expect the same work quality work from you as I would a professional plumber, but I'm also going to assume that you don't run around telling everyone that you are a plumber, just cause you know how connect pipes together, even if you could get the toilet fixed.
I think the analogy is spot on, when you are talking about the same thing all the way up the line. I didn't say the high school athlete was a tennis player trying out for the major league hockey team, which is how you angled your comparison. A soccer player playing high school soccer is still a soccer player, but it doesn't mean that he couldn't be 1)competitive or 2)get his ass handed to him, on the pro soccer field. Same job, different levels, different commitments, different pay.