Verified by 
Leadership
From Athlete to CEO: Coincidence or Blueprint?
Athletic skills often translate to business success, but passion is the key.
Posted July 30, 2024 Reviewed by Margaret Foley
Key points
- 68 percent of top CEOs played college sports, with track and field leading at 29 percent.
- Nonathlete CEOs often show obsessive dedication to other pursuits, indicating that focus is key to leadership.
- Skills from sports or hobbies, like resilience and teamwork, translate well to corporate leadership.
Co-authored with Elijah Close.
Imagine a world where the path to corporate success is paved with grass-stained jerseys and well-worn sneakers. A world where the Fortune 500 list reads like an all-star roster of former college athletes. This was the picture painted by a friend who claimed, with certainty, that 95 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs were once competitive athletes.
As a researcher, such sweeping statements set off alarm bells in my mind. They create a state of disequilibrium, an itch that can only be scratched by diving headfirst into the data. Armed with curiosity and the novelty of a little free time, aided by my research assistant, Elijah, we set out to investigate this athletic mystery: Are 95 percent of CEOs ex-athletes?
The CEO-Sports Connection
Our work began at the top of the corporate food chain: Walmart. Its CEO, Doug McMillon, we discovered, had indeed been a basketball player. "One data point doesn't make a trend," I reminded Elijah, but I couldn't help feeling a twinge of excitement. We pressed on, combing through the Fortune 500 list, from the titans of industry down to the scrappy upstarts barely clinging to the 500th spot.
As we investigated deeper, a pattern began to emerge—but it wasn't quite the slam dunk my friend had predicted. Our initial findings showed that 66 percent of these corporate leaders had played sports at the collegiate level—a far cry from 95 percent, but still a staggering majority.
Intrigued, we narrowed our focus to the top 100 companies and expanded our search. We scoured news articles, YouTube interviews, and even Instagram accounts for any hint of athletic prowess. For some CEOs, the trail went cold. No mention of sports, no photos of them teeing off or crossing finish lines. But absence of evidence, as they say, isn't evidence of absence.
As Elijah listened to what seemed like an endless stream of podcasts, I turned to the existing literature. The numbers were compelling. Deloitte found that over 70 percent of corporate executives were former college athletes. A 2023 study showed that an astonishing 93 percent of female executives earning over $100K had sporting backgrounds. Cornell University's research painted a similar picture: 80 percent of Fortune 500 executives and 94 percent of C-suite women were collegiate athletes.
The closer we got to the exact figure of top CEOs who played sports, a string of questions emerged. Firstly, what sports are leaders coming from? What if they didn’t play sports? And finally, why are they gravitating towards these leadership roles?
Obsessive Natures
Our results (data available here) answered the first question, showing that of the top CEOs, 68 percent come from a collegiate sports background, mostly competing in track and field (29 percent), followed by golf (15 percent), basketball (10 percent), and cricket (4 percent), with small percentages from other sports like soccer, football, wrestling, and cycling. These CEOs were typically good athletes, but not necessarily world-class competitors. Olympic-level athletes, for instance, rarely progress to CEO positions, though some do join executive leadership teams, especially former rowers. This pattern raises questions about potential recruitment bias: Are sports-oriented CEOs more likely to hire those with similar backgrounds, perceiving shared values and work ethic? While this remains a hypothesis, it's a compelling angle for future research. The prevalence of athletes in these roles suggests that the skills developed in collegiate sports may be particularly valuable in corporate leadership, even if peak athletic performance isn't a prerequisite for executive success.
Here's where there’s an unexpected turn. What about the 32 percent who didn't come from the world of competitive sports? As we dug into their backgrounds, a fascinating pattern emerged. These individuals, without exception, were obsessives.
Take Warren Buffett, for instance. While his peers were chasing balls across fields, young Buffett was meticulously trading stamps and golf balls. This wasn't just a hobby; it was a consuming passion that laid the groundwork for his future as an investment guru. Or consider Timothy Sweeney at Liberty Mutual Insurance Group. His adolescent hours weren't spent on sports fields but in front of a glowing computer screen, bent on mastering the art of coding and programming. Then there's Ron Vachris at Costco, who started as a forklift driver and, over four decades, worked his way up to CEO. His obsession? The art of work itself, the mastery of a corporate culture that values its people as much as its bottom line.
From Classroom to Boardroom
These stories paint a compelling picture. The path to corporate leadership isn't solely paved with athletic trophies but with an almost monastic dedication to a chosen pursuit. It's as if the intensity required to excel in sports can be channeled into other forms of mastery, each equally valid in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
So, what's the secret sauce? Is it the need to perform under pressure? The love of connection and challenge? Or perhaps the constant pursuit of evolving goals and self-discovery?
The truth, it seems, lies in the skills developed in the classroom at an early age through intense dedication: teamwork, leadership, imagination, resilience, strategic thinking, and the ability to handle adversity. These are not just athletic attributes but essential qualities for effective leadership in any arena.
The Passion Principle
In a world where only 32 percent of college students in countries like Great Britain and the United States play competitive sports, the representation of athletes in corporate leadership is striking. What's truly revealing is not the sport itself, but the underlying passion principle it embodies.
This principle, the fusion of passion created from connections and problem-solving, coupled with dedication and imagination, goes far beyond the playing field. It's a universal catalyst for success, equally applicable to athletes and nonathletes alike.
As we explore the connection between athletics and business leadership, we must broaden our perspective. The challenge lies in creating diverse pathways to success that embrace all forms of passionate pursuit. Whether it's sports, coding, or any other endeavor, the key seems to be the opportunity to channel one's energy into a constructive, even obsessive (but healthy), focus.
The playing field of business, like that of sports, should welcome all who dare to compete. The true secret isn't found in the jersey or the suit; it evolves over time through character and an active imagination to work towards targets. It's the focused commitment to excellence, the resilience that turns setbacks into comebacks, and the burning passion shaped through experience that propels individuals beyond their perceived limits.
