Intellect in Athleticism

This post was adapted from something that I had previously written.

Growing up, I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be interested in sports. Everyone told me that I was intelligent and that intelligent people are not among those who are supposed to be drawn into that form of entertainment. Eventually I realized something. I was mentally weak. Although my grades in school were good, I couldn’t seem to think for myself. The idea that I let other people tell me what to think about the relationship between athleticism and intellect could be viewed as proof of my mental shortcomings.

Eventually, I started watching a few sports. The sport that drew my attention was ice hockey. I also watched some baseball, but the transformation from a legitimate sport into a more one-dimensional game has pushed me away. Base running, strategy, and defense have been sacrificed for an increase in homerun totals. Regardless, I have found that sports can be enjoyable to watch.

What is the relationship between athleticism and intellect? I wouldn’t say that there is a direct relationship either way. You can have brilliant people who hate sports, love watching sports, or love playing sports. The same can be said for the mindless masses. Of course, sports vary greatly. Ice hockey, curling, and swimming have very little in common. Watching and playing are also very different experiences. I would assume that most people who think for themselves can find something in the world of sports to grab their interests.

What about the dumb jock reputation? This really is a baseless stereotype. There are definitely some athletes out there who fall a little short in terms of intellect, but there are also some who seem to be well above average. While I’m not going to say that athletes are more intelligent than average, I will say that intellect may be more suitable for sports than other professions.

As I have further developed my opinions over the years, I have reevaluated the role of intellect in playing sports. While there is no direct relationship between athleticism and intellect, athletes do not have the same mental restrictions as the bulk of the careers available in the modern world. There is no question that some mentally weak individuals succeed in sports, but athletics may be one of the best career choices for intelligent individuals.

Many people who consider themselves to be intelligent use that perception to enter a high-paying field. Becoming a doctor is one of the more prestigious career paths that are targeted. Unlike athletics, this is an example of a mentally restrictive career choice. Doctors are expected to do the job the right way. New ideas must be suppressed. Not conforming to what is expected will provide a serious risk of a malpractice suit. Doing what you have been told to do over the years is the only acceptable approach to any of your tasks.

I have personally struggled most of my life with the mental restrictions surrounding me. There are times when I wish that I had shown more of an interest in sports when I was younger. It doesn’t help that essentially all resources for learning sports is devoted to school-aged children. After ten years of age, it’s generally too late. I’m older than ten.

There is a complication to intellect in sports. Some sports rely more on technical strengths. When this happens, athletes must sacrifice themselves to the instruction that they are given. This is something that actually does restrict thought a little bit. If a sport lacks depth, technique is far more important than mental process when it comes to success. In sports like track and field and swimming, thought can’t compensate for lack of fitness and technique. Deeper sports allow for more flexibility.

As sports become more popular, the emphasis generally shifts more toward the technical side. Sports teams want to win. An athlete who has spent his entire life learning how to play the sport right will usually have an advantage over someone whose game revolves around thought. Unfortunately, watching sports where all competitors are essentially the same lacks entertainment value. In terms of accommodating thought and providing an entertaining sport, popularity is detrimental.

Ultimately, the ideal sports are not nearly accessible enough. I watch hockey, and some of these players seem to think without being punished. There is plenty of creativity and split-second decisions. Not everything is based purely off of what they are expected to do in every situation, and deviating from the expected creates situations that demand an unprepared response from the opposition. While I’m sure that there are some obscure sports that I have never heard of that better meet my demands, this environment clearly enables thought better than what’s typical in this world. Unfortunately, even ice hockey is heading towards an overly technical approach.