Anyone know why sports seem so popular than nerdy pursuits?

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Allegra said:
I think how far money goes in a given location is part of the equation regarding whether people are poor. Most retail workers are generally paid little for whatever country they live in.
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I agree. It’s just sort of interesting factoid.
EnglishYew said:
I’m sure more guys would watch chess if it had quarterback sacks, bone crunching linebacker–running back collisions and cheerleaders.
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Someone needs to make that chess game from Harry Potter a reality.
 
Is the “jocks rule the school and bully nerds who are despised by all” really the way it is in the typical American high school? Definitely how it’s portrayed in TV dramas and seems to be what the OP related. In my high school here in BC, jocks were nothing special… if anything, the activist social justice types got all the attention.
 
That wasn’t my high school experience either. I have a feeling that TV execs who make those dramas don’t think much has changed since they were kids.
 
Or what about board games? I think board games are kinda a social thing.
 
YourNameHere said:
Stereotypes.
Most of the athletes I know also do well academically.
A lot of the so-called nerds I know are average or better at sports events.
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Which is the ideal imo. Don’t be a jock and don’t be a nerd. Aim for well rounded.
 
twf said:
Is the “jocks rule the school and bully nerds who are despised by all” really the way it is in the typical American high school?
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No. You are also just as likely to meet non-jocks who are bullies. “Activist social justice types”, stoners, and intellectuals can all be bullies, especially now that emotional abuse and cyberbullying are recognized as bullying, so it’s not just a question of a large guy who works out beating up on a small nerdy kid.
 
The two guys who ranked #2 and #3 in my high school class were both 12 time varsity letter winners. In other words, they were 3 sport varsity lettermen all 4 years of high school.

One went on to be a Division I college varsity letterman and an engineer. The other, works in high education.

So there is no reason you can’t be both.

Athletics (when used properly) teaches teamwork, something that is very difficult to teach in academics (no matter how many times a teacher/professor assigns group projects).

Therefore, academics are really single person and even with group projects, it’s still every individualist, esp if the group doesn’t agree.

In other words: team athletics teaches us how to succeed in groups, while academics teaches us how to succeed on our own merits.

That’s my 2 cents.

God Bless
 
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In my family, I was always the bookish one, while my brother was the athlete. Ironically, when I went to Seminary at one of the more academically demanding schools in the country, I started playing sports more.

-Fr ACEGC
 
OP, nowadays in the rat race for college, you kind of have to be both a nerd and a jock. And yearbook editor. And the lead in the school play. And a pianist. And a community activist. All the while being a down-to-earth, ordinary kid on the inside.
 
I graduated high school in 1970 from a largish school that was middle class and mostly white. The bullies were usually the less intelligent, beer drinking car jockeys. The sports stars were the most popular kids but their IQ’s were varied. I don’t remember any one of them being a bully. The nerds weren’t recognized yet as the tech stars they would later become. They were usually the quiet ones and I’m sure some of them were bullied. They did tend to have the high IQ’s as a general group.

I don’t think you can stereotype any group as smart or dumb or bullies. Bullying may depend more on socioeconomic status or just family situations in general. I never considered jocks as being the supply line for bullies. Different times?
 
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying shooting hog-legs:) I just prefer semi-autos and their easier reloads. They are also easier to conceal. Besides, if I’m in a situation that requires more than 10mm for self-defense, including anti-critter, I’m in a world of hurt.

Never did the Mensa thing.

Not really a big fan of football or chess. I’d rather put my mind into crushing the enemy in court than on a game board 🙂
 
The Greenland government was issuing 10 mm to their patrol officers for polar bear defense. Seems a bit light for those beasts. Better than a billy club though, that’s for sure.
Trouble with huge bears is by the time they know they’re dead, it’s too late for you.
 
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Loosely related:

“Great sporting events like today’s Super Bowl are highly symbolic, showing that it is possible to build a culture of encounter and a world of peace” -Pope Francis (maybe 2017?)
 
EnglishYew said:
I’m sure more guys would watch chess if it had quarterback sacks, bone crunching linebacker–running back collisions and cheerleaders.
That said, I love football and shooting my cowboy guns, and I’m a member of Mensa and pretty good at chess. I know plenty of others like me, too. Kind of messes up the narrative, eh?
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And let’s not forget how nerdy the world of sports has become as analytics have taken over. There’s a path to serious money in the sports world for someone with a head for math. I know a brilliant dude with a PhD in electrical engineering whose dissertation was on basketball analytics.
 
True. When I was studying kinesiology we had all kinds. Not always serious athletes, though most had some background in sport, I think.
 
And then we have me, with a master’s in civil engineering from Johns Hopkins and running a strength coaching business on the side.

We nerds are ubiquitous in the sports world.
 
I commend you for that. Seems like these days, with all the info on the web, everybody is their own expert trainer. With predictably fuzzy understanding.
I always prefer working with female clients. They listen up much better.
 
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EnglishYew said:
I commend you for that. Seems like these days, with all the info on the web, everybody is their own expert trainer. With predictably fuzzy understanding.
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It’s so tough, because there’s always someone promoting some newfangled gimmick that’s GUARANTEED to get you huge muscles with 6% bodyfat in five weeks without ever having to pick up a heavy weight.

A guy like me, trying to convince folks that they need to put a heavy barbell on their back, eat well, lift with good form, and be patient, is at a severe disadvantage next to a bunch of sexy Instagram hucksters.
 
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