As inherently difficult as it is to objectively measure attractiveness and leadership, this sports deep dive into those qualities of quarterbacks is fascinating.
Quarterbacks are very much leaders of their teams, and so it is a fun exercise to attempt to test out whether they really are what we perceive them to be. And the thought is that while they may not actually be the most good looking, they are perceived to be leaders and likely have in fact been so perceived throughout their lives.
While we all have natural talents, we are social animals and interactions develop us. There is something to be said for recognizing where one has some general advantage over others and then taking the opportunity to drive it further, not just through practice but through understanding how the perceptions of others can also help open up doors. "The expectations that others have for us shape the people we get the opportunity to become."
Handsome Is As Handsome Does: Are QBs really the best-looking players? | SI.com: "Why are quarterbacks so damned good looking? Apparently they’re not. We just assume they are. Van Gilder, the economist, nailed it when she said that socially, we’ve been trained to think that the quarterback is the most beautiful person on the team."
"There seem to be at least two viable explanations for what’s
going on in these studies. One: We humans are surprisingly good at picking up
subtle facial and other nonverbal cues that tell us something meaningful about
other people’s social skills (or genetic predispositions). Two: We
are surprisingly consistent in our conclusions about other people based on such
cues, and then we treat them in a way that brings out the tendencies we expect."
"Quarterbacks are probably groomed for the job. Except this
isn’t
based on perceptions of their attractiveness; it’s based on perceptions of
leadership. When we talk about how good-looking QBs are, we are probably,
thanks in no small part to the halo effect, conflating looks with leadership."
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