I'd argue sports is the exact example where not only is everyone winging it, but where you must wing it to be successful. How good you are at winging it is def

I'd argue sports is the exact example where not only is everyone winging it, but where you must wing it to be successful. How good you are at winging it is defined by your training, but in a competitive situation, if you're not constantly improvising to match the current state of play, then your play will be entirely predictable and as a result you'll be easily beaten. Think about a football team that runs one of three corners every time. After maybe a match, they'll be beaten by every defense. Now think about a football team that makes subtle improvisations on every corner they run based on the defense they're up against. Much, much harder to study and defend.