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 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

I think this depends on the school, and if not the school, to some extent, the sport.... If we look at, say, Oregon or Texas, or USC, CAL, or Notre Dame; players who are playing football, or basketball are probably more likely to be playing as a "tryout" for the big leagues. But as you get away from the big sports and into track and field, or water polo, rugby, golf, etc. you get a group of generally more intelligent people who while they love their sport and would LOVE to go pro in it, realize that probability of that happening is fairly low, and will apply themselves better to their studies. I am guessing that you went to a school that isn't really well known for it's athletics, and as such the "quality" of player they get in their athletics is going to be different than one of the big sports schools.

I resent the notion that people committed to sport are somehow less intelligent than those who are not. As someone who actually played NCAA football (albeit at a D3 school) and looks like he was an athlete of some description, my appearance and athletic history have caused me problems in academic pursuits explicitly because of the attitude you are expressing.

Another thing to consider is that there are almost certainly more bad students* in American higher education who don't play sports than students who do; possibly even when considered proportionally.



*Defined as students who pass with "Gentlemen's Cs", fail to graduate, or have a low GPA.

 dogma wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

I think this depends on the school, and if not the school, to some extent, the sport.... If we look at, say, Oregon or Texas, or USC, CAL, or Notre Dame; players who are playing football, or basketball are probably more likely to be playing as a "tryout" for the big leagues. But as you get away from the big sports and into track and field, or water polo, rugby, golf, etc. you get a group of generally more intelligent people who while they love their sport and would LOVE to go pro in it, realize that probability of that happening is fairly low, and will apply themselves better to their studies. I am guessing that you went to a school that isn't really well known for it's athletics, and as such the "quality" of player they get in their athletics is going to be different than one of the big sports schools.

I resent the notion that people committed to sport are somehow less intelligent than those who are not. As someone who actually played NCAA football (albeit at a D3 school) and looks like he was an athlete of some description, my appearance and athletic history have caused me problems in academic pursuits explicitly because of the attitude you are expressing.

Another thing to consider is that there are almost certainly more bad students* in American higher education who don't play sports than students who do; possibly even when considered proportionally.



*Defined as students who pass with "Gentlemen's Cs", fail to graduate, or have a low GPA.

That's not really what I's trying to say though. I mean, all I have to do is turn in an NBA, or NFL post game interview, and listen to the grown-ass 28 year old with the vocabulary of a 13 year old on screen. I have seen the numerous studies that show that these professional level athletes' brains have developed in such a way that, certainly they are less "intelligent" than say, the average soldier, or firefighter, doctor, etc... however, where those of us who are not professional athletes' brains have developed many other skills not seen in pros, their intelligence when it comes to their individual sport is quite astounding. So while many pro athletes' brains make them talk like cavemen, their Intelligences are simply geared towards a completely different avenue of life from someone who's paycheck is brought to them through their brain.

Ultimately what I was trying to say is that players who are good enough to attend a school like Texas, or Alabama, etc. with full rides to play football are not going their to become brain surgeons, they are going their with the hopes of playing in the NFL, NBA, NHL , etc. and so many won't necessarily care to get a business degree, or an engineering, medical, scientific, degree and make their brain "smarter" in a way that (depending on who you ask) will hinder their on-field performance.