A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching.
Major sports are major parts of society. It's not anomalous to have people who love sports come from other parts of that society.
Angelo Bartlett "Bart" Giamatti was the president of Yale University and later the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti negotiated the agreement terminating the Pete Rose betting scandal by permitting Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport to avoid further punishment.