Literally the message is if you don't pay attention at the meetings you could die - wasn't it always like this?
As an unbaptized publisher, I also played football with 'worldly' friends. If I ever missed a meeting, I was told by the brothers and sisters that 'getting to the meetings means your life'.
At around the same time, I did work experience when I was 15. I had to get up at 6am so I missed the Tuesday book study and Thursday meeting one week. On Sunday, some of the 'friends' looked at me as if I'd committed a crime!
The WTS is now cleverly and slickly marketed but I think some things stay the same with this cult.