Try moving your dial over into Program when shooting sports. Even with a 1d, I stay right there 99% of the time, as I have just a smidge of adjustability, but am still letting the camera meter for me.

I think you misunderstand what I mean. 90% of a the ability to shoot is the photographers ability to look at his/her equipment, There subject, and there lighting conditions, and get the camera up to produce a quality, or correctable, shot. With sports shooting, even in auto, You still have to put your eye up to the camera, frame and snap the shot, whether it was meant to be perfect with no PP or 6 hours in photoshop.

I put no stock in the ability to turn knobs really well. Ability is about seeing and knowing you can make something out of what you get. To me that's being a photographer, not obsessing over a perfect exposure.

What made Ansel Adams one of the greatest photographers in the field of our time? It wasn't his ability to twist knobs and have the perfect exposure(because some of his most famous ones AREN'T), it was his ability to frame a shot, to work with the gear he had to make the best looking photo he could produce.

I apologise I misunderstood you