COLUMN: So maybe brains aren’t everything

For those of you who think professional football players are about as intelligent as a can of dog food, I’ve got disappointing news: It’s not exactly true, just mostly.

As a sports writer I’ve had the opportunity to associate with many athletes, including football players, and I’ve learned that most of these individuals are not only athletic, but quite intelligent and creative.

But these are college athletes. The world of professional athletes is a whole different ball game, and the IQ seems to drop almost immediately. I’m not saying that all pro football players are dumb because I’m sure there are many who are intelligent. But after what I learned this week about some requirements to get into the NFL, I have my doubts.

I recently learned that football players participating in the NFL draft not only have to show a high level of physical prowess, they also must demonstrate some semblance of intelligence through a written, timed test.

I can only imagine the type of test a football player would be required to take. I’d imagine it would go something like this:

Question 1. If Team A scores a field goal, how many points do they get?

Question 2. If you eat Wheaties every morning like your daddy always told you to, how strong will you be by the time you play in the NFL?

Question 3. If the two hands of the clock point to the 12, what time is it?

OK, so the test isn’t that simple – but pretty darn close.

The test, used by the NFL to determine the mental proficiency of potential players at the draft, is created and administered by Wonderlic, a company that specializes in recruitment and selection.

According to Peter Schrager, a sports writer at FOXSports.com, this test was first used by the NFL in 1970 and has been utilized ever since. The premise of the test is simple. There are 12 minutes to complete 50 questions, and depending on how many questions a player correctly answers, he is assigned a score from 1-50.

Schrager said the test is administered behind closed doors and the scores are supposed to be kept confidential. But in a world where confidentiality becomes headline news, scores are sometimes leaked. The average score on the Wonderlic test is a 19, Schrager said.

With NFL players averaging a score of less than 50 percent, I had to ask myself just how difficult this test could be. Luckily Wonderlic posts some sample questions on its Web site, Wonderlic.com. While there aren’t 50 questions available on the site, I took the opportunity to answer some sample questions as fast as I could in order to keep with the time requirements of the NFL test.

I was fully expecting something akin to the ACT – a timed test that would give me ulcers and nightmares for years to come. I still can’t wrap my head around where Train B would end up if Train A left at the same time but traveled 30 mph faster than Train B. Frankly, I think a legitimate response to this question is, “Who freaking cares? Nobody even uses trains anymore.” But somehow the smart alecks at the ACT center don’t agree with me and don’t accept written-in answers. Go figure.

What I got surprised me.

There were no questions asking me to analyze some pointless graph made by some bored scientist who couldn’t get a date. There were no questions asking me what I thought the best title for a story would be. The questions were so easy I’m confident my 10-year-old sister could ace this test.

The questions sounded something like this: If a man is selling bricks at $2 a brick, how many bricks can you buy for $12? LITTLE is to BIG as DUMB is to _________.

The test took me a matter of seconds to complete and I received a perfect score. I wish that was something to brag about but it’s not. With a test so easy, I wonder how some players scored as low as a three on the test. A three! How can anybody be that stupid?

While it takes a fair amount of intelligence to figure out sports strategies, this shouldn’t rule out the requirement to have basic knowledge of the world. These athletes have gone through high school and college. They should at least be able to get 10 questions correct. It makes you wonder how they ever made it through college.

I guess in the world of sports, brains aren’t everything. But as long as these guys keep hitting each other and scoring touchdowns, I’m a happy camper.

Seth Hawkins is a junior majoring in public relations who wishes he did as well on the ACT as he did on the Wonderlic test. Comments and suggestions can be sent to him at sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu.