According to a new study from the University of Kansas that looked at the academic performance of players and nonathletes across Kansas, engagement in interscholastic athletics is frequently connected with improved educational outcomes. Lumpkin stated, "In general, an athlete is not brighter than a nonathlete." He went on to say that there are exceptions to this rule, including people who play football or basketball for a living. They tend to be more intelligent because they need to think fast on the court or in front of the camera. Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn or acquire knowledge and skills through experience, observation, and education. It is assumed that athletes are more intelligent because they have had their brains trained over time through their involvement in sports. The scientists conducted multiple regression analyses to determine how much of an impact athletic participation was having on student achievement. They also controlled for factors such as gender, race, income level, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol use, smoking status, and drug use. The results showed that athletes were more likely than their non-athletic peers to achieve higher scores on assessments that measured verbal ability, reading comprehension, math problem solving, and logical thinking. There are several theories about why athletes might be better at some things and how sports could possibly make someone smarter. One theory is called the "practice effect". This means that people who practice something become better at it through repeated effort, which leads to increased intelligence test scores.