People tend to put more effort into things that:
a) Inflict less aggervation
b) They excel in more
c) Brings them the most attention
Guess what dumb jocks are going to choose: Football or School?
While I agree that there is little sense in choosing sports over academics, emotions often transcend logic.
Hrmmm.... I'm special because I had to put a hell of a lot more effort into swimming then I did school.