I’m guessing that just about everyone’s Facebook newsfeeds have been blowing up with #Linning comments these past two weeks, with everything from fawning declarations of love to pseudo-academic commentary on contemporary race-relations. Despite all the talk of Lin’s “anomalies,” as David Brooks put it, his Harvard degree clearly stands out—which is quite interesting.

We’re prone to ignore or forget that the Ivy League is by definition an athletic conference, though it has picked up connotations of social and academic elitism over the years. We question our physical education requirement more than the vague Global Core. The fact that we have to swim (or doggy-paddle) a couple of laps in order to graduate seems laughable.

Yet this seemingly outdated ideal of the scholar-athlete reaches far outside the gates of Columbia. It is mentioned in everything from the Rhodes Scholarship standards to debates over whether the NCAA should pay its players. Despite the fact that many Ivy League students—other than the 13 percent or so of the student body who participate in athletics—tend to ignore it, there seems to be something to being a scholar-athlete that is inherent to a truly comprehensive university education.

The value of athleticism, of course, stands in its own right. But health and emotional benefits aside, what unique benefit do we garner from participating in sports as students?

Whereas some of us may (quite literally) look to Francis Bacon’s adage, “a man is but what he knoweth,” as the credo of education, plenty of thinkers have argued otherwise that neither the life of the body nor the life of the mind should be neglected—rather that the two ought to develop in unison.

Later in his article Brooks (in his typically grandiose and generalizing manner) argues that the pervasive culture of sports encourages competition in all other spheres of life. I agree with the sentiment to a certain extent. As students, like it or not, we live in a competitive world. That being said, it remains to be seen whether we compete against others or we compete in order to better ourselves. And though more bookish students may see their 12-hour library marathons as Olympic feats in their own right, it seems to me that we ought not to neglect our bodies either.

Accomplishment at the university level, beyond grades, should encompass our ability to push ourselves in various aspects of our lives. Being part of an intramural team or shooting around with friends should be as much a part of a balanced academic career as writing for the newspaper or playing an instrument.

At the very least, we should be able to enjoy tossing a football or Frisbee around with our fellow students in friendly competition on weekends, on the rare occasion the lawns are actually open.

Jonathan Lee is a junior majoring in Political Science. He is proud to hail from Queens, undoubtedly the best of the five boroughs.