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?

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........

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