The thing there is that when people say “people are attracted to intelligence” the intelligence people think of is different than the type people are generally attracted to.

Highly analytical intelligence is a type of intelligence. So is the ability to make correct choices in a variety of situations.
Almost every athletic endeavor entails being able to assess situations quickly and accurately, and know how to respond. Team sports require group coordination, training and predicting teammates behavior.
That’s intelligence, but it’s often considered a lesser sort than the analytical sort.

It’s why people see the people doing work that requires the type of less prestigious intelligence as less intelligent, and see people being drawn to them as proof that people aren’t really drawn to intelligence.

To be blunt: it doesn’t matter how strong you are if can’t read or get confused by the garage door opener every day.

It’s the same as saying that people aren’t attracted to appearance because plenty of people are drawn to normal attractiveness people.