Test Special Issue

Big Think Home
Game Change

Do elite athletes really make elite employees?

More Special Issues

Sports, we tend to assume, offer a sharp-edged reflection of business life in microcosm — leadership under pressure, the winning mentality, valuable lessons drawn from loss. It’s all there. Just kick back with a beer and a pizza and watch your pathway to workplace success unfold on game day. Well, it turns out that the connections are often far more nuanced than we might have presumed. Do elite athletes really make elite employees? What’s the connection between Swedish pragmatics in soccer and a thriving startup culture? Have you factored in the difference between “wicked” and “kind” environments (and what does that even mean)? We investigate all of these pivotal tangents, and much more, in this Big Think special collection of essays, interviews, and curated book excerpts. Forget everything you’ve been told about the synergies between sports and business. It’s time to rewrite the rules.

Blue background with the words "Game Change" in white, surrounded by strategic game symbols and graphs in the background.
Presented by
John Templeton Foundation
Everything Articles Videos
A red door with a gold doorknob is floating in the middle of a blue sky surrounded by white clouds.
Neuropsych
What the stages of sleep reveal about consciousness
"Ordinary dreams are, perhaps, the clearest articulation of what it is like to be."
Rachel Barr
Abstract illustration of translucent human figures standing in line, with a mix of a natural outdoor scene and geometric digital elements in the background.
Neuropsych
Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops — but conscious minds don’t
The overlooked reason why "AI consciousness" isn't coming anytime soon.
Anil Seth
A split image showing the left half of a frog and the right half of a chemical structure on a green and white textured background.
Neuropsych
“Pure awareness”: Inside the psychedelic that erases space, time, and self
5-MeO-DMT may offer a practical way to access and study consciousness in its most basic form.
Christopher Timmermann
A digital collage featuring a brain illustration, distorted human faces, signal towers, abstract waves, and scattered data points and text on a blue and gray background.
Neuropsych
Inside the search for a universal signature of unconsciousness
A universal signature could make surgeries safer — and help reveal what holds consciousness together.
Ross Pomeroy
A man and woman sit on a bed with two young children, sharing a quiet moment; the older child stands while the younger, cradled by the woman, embodies the precious gift of consciousness within the family.
Business
What brain surgery taught me about the fragile gift of consciousness
After the trauma of a high-risk medical procedure, Eric Markowitz discovered a kind of consciousness that lives not in thought — but in presence.
Eric Markowitz
Five books on consciousness and philosophy are displayed upright in a row against a pale background with abstract black lines.
Books
5 brilliant books on consciousness
These expert-recommended books try to answer the questions of consciousness, from its fundamental nature to its role in human experience and the natural world.
Kevin Dickinson
A digital illustration of a hermit crab with a shell resembling a human brain, shown in two square sections over the shell.
Mini Philosophy
Think like a crow, choose like a crab: The animals inside our minds
A conversation about intelligence and consciousness with philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith.
Jonny Thomson
Three circles show, from left to right, an oyster shell, a Vitruvian-style human figure, and a swirling spiral, linked together on a textured lavender background.
The Past
The philosophers who predicted “ultimate” forms of consciousness
Philosophers once prophesied that evolution would lead to minds far greater — and stranger — than our own.
Thomas Moynihan
Black and white close-up of an older man with glasses, a bushy mustache, and beard, resting his chin on his hand and looking directly at the camera.
Thinking
Daniel Dennett: Consciousness is no miracle. It’s a magic trick.
"For many people, the idea that consciousness is a set of tricks is offensive," the late philosopher told Big Think in 2012. "I think that's a prime mistake."
Jonny Thomson
Abstract illustration of a human figure with glowing neural-like lines and bright light concentrated around the head, set against a red and orange gradient background.
Thinking
A letter from the editor
Introducing Big Think's Consciousness Issue.
Stephen Johnson
Black and white illustration of a ship at shore, with people unloading goods and interacting on land; orange arc marks part of the scene.
Books
The last witnesses: Preserving the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In the Embers series, historian M.G. Sheftall shares the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s last survivors and reveals why their testimony must endure.
Kevin Dickinson
A digital illustration of a human brain with glowing neon lines and a translucent geometric cube overlay at the center.
3mins
Perception Box
The science of spirituality, and how it can change your brain
Humans have always had religion. What does this say about our minds? Reza Aslan PhD, Lisa Miller PhD, and Rob Bell MDiv explain.
Lisa Miller, Reza Aslan & Rob Bell
Unlikely Collaborators
A man in a suit sits in front of a large NASA logo sign, symbolizing the determination to defy charter limits and push the boundaries of space exploration.
Starts With A Bang
NASA chief to defy agency’s charter, terminating science
NASA's 1958 charter's top priority was, "the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space." Is this how it ends?
Ethan Siegel
John Candeto, in a white shirt, smiles while sitting outdoors near stone steps and green potted plants.
The Long Game
The John Candeto interview: Bigger dreams and the colossal effect of “power laws”
Fund manager and writer John Candeto is on a mission to decode the hidden patterns that drive extraordinary outcomes.
Eric Markowitz
A grayscale portrait of David Senra is centered on a collage background featuring a marble statue, abstract black-and-white swirls, and purple book spines.
Business
The David Senra interview: “Use history as a form of leverage”
The host of the Founders podcast joins Big Think for a chat about success, obsession, business genius, human nature, and more.
Tim Brinkhof
Close-up of a human eye with a digital interface overlay and a red laser beam targeting the pupil, illustrating the science of LASIK and advanced vision correction technology.
Starts With A Bang
The science behind LASIK
For many of us, our imperfect vision compels us to wear corrective lenses to see properly. Here's what everyone should know about LASIK.
Ethan Siegel
Book excerpt promotional graphic showing the cover of "Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions" by L. David Marquet and Michael A. Gillespie, highlighting an Intel genius approach in leadership—an excerpt from.
Business
The best question a leader can ask: “What would my replacement do?”
To navigate a heavyweight corporate quandary, take a leaf out of Intel’s brilliant playbook — walk out, and return as your own successor.
L. David Marquet & Michael Gillespie
A painting of a woman crying.
2mins
The Well
Debunking “living in the moment” and other bad emotional advice
Many of us rely on emotional advice that doesn’t actually work. Psychologist Ethan Kross offers a smarter, science-backed approach to managing emotions with flexibility and perspective.
Ethan Kross
Silhouetted quiver trees under a starry night sky, with the Milky Way forming a bright arc above the horizon—perfect for fans of stunning 2025 night sky images.
Starts With A Bang
See the best night sky images from Capture the Dark 2025
Across planet Earth, dark and pristine night skies are an increasingly rare resource. These photos showcase the best of what we still have.
Ethan Siegel
A woman sits on a chair in a studio with a neutral backdrop, overlaid with yellow flowers and barbed wire against a black background.
1hr 24mins
Full Interview
The neuroscience of extremes: ruthless psychopathy to extraordinary generosity
“There's a very pervasive belief that human nature is fundamentally selfish, but I know for a fact that that can't be true in part because my life was saved by a stranger a long time ago when I was 19.”
Abigail Marsh
Learn from the world’s biggest thinkers.
© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.