History is Useless in the 'Real World'?

"The General Manager who engineered the NFL's best off-season is a history buff, a grunge band aficionado and a Game of Thrones devotee...Mike Maccagnam reveres Abraham Lincoln, references the Napoleonic Code and devours books, like On War, about military strategy...."  This is the opening of a story about Maccagnam in the October 26, 2015 issue of Sports Illustrated.  A history buff, Lincoln, Napoleon, Clausewitz: no wonder Maccagnam is a successful GM in the NFL.