I see no reason why we need to emphasize physical activity. I've always liked the quote by a former
president of my college, 'Whenever I get the urge to
exercise, I lie down until it goes away'.
This is not just the psychological remnant of middle school and high school social oppression. The jock attitude continues well into college, and, once developed, probably never ends throughout life. Cops who beat the crap out of geeks, middle-management types who run football pools and ostracise workers who don't join in, fathers who mock their childrens' interests as 'faggotty'. These are the same types who go around gay-bashing anyone reads and shows interest in something other than sports; this happens more frequently than you might believe.
And, for the record, I would like to see the proof that the best athletes are also good intellectuals. Babe Ruth sure as hell wasn't. Sure this is inherently a stereotype, but so is the statement that the best athletes are also smart. There are probably exceptions (though none come to mind).
And, lastly, jocks are not the same thing as athletes. To be a jock demands a certain mental attitude of ridicule and competition.