However, the dictionary definition of athletics is "physical sports and games of any kind". That definition makes more sense, because football teams have the word athletic in their name (e.g. "Charlton Athletic"), and the word "athlete" is typically used for any type of sports-person.
According to wikipedia athletics covers a few more sports:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_of_athletics
However, the dictionary definition of athletics is "physical sports and games of any kind". That definition makes more sense, because football teams have the word athletic in their name (e.g. "Charlton Athletic"), and the word "athlete" is typically used for any type of sports-person.