Can we stop calling sports-people geniuses?

Yet another commentator, pundit, presenter, coach or player has called a sports person a genius. This time it’s Spanish football boss Luis de la Fuente talking about Yamine Lamal’s goal against France in the Euro 2024 semi-final:

We saw a touch of genius.

It’s a term that is thrown around when talking about a sports person’s extreme execution of a skill. But, while I’m sure some sports people are in fact geniuses, the vast majority are not. They are just regular people with fantastic skills in their chosen discipline.

A genius is someone who has exceptional intellect.

Lamal’s goal was excellent. It’s what you’d expect from a highly talented individual. To do it on such as stage, at such a young age (he’s 16) is impressive. But, it’s not genius. It’s just a great goal.

And let’s be brutal; we probably wouldn’t label Wayne Rooney a genius, even though he did some exceptional things on a football pitch.