 All of the heads are realistic , unidealised and frank descriptions of the men . It is likely that they were portraits of living ( or recently deceased ) rulers well known to the sculptors . Each head is distinct and naturalistic , displaying individualised features . They were once thought to represent ballplayers although this theory is no longer widely held ; it is possible , however , that they represent rulers equipped for the Mesoamerican ballgame . Facial expressions depicted on the heads vary from stern through placid to smiling . The most naturalistic Olmec art is the earliest , appearing suddenly without surviving antecedents , with a tendency towards more stylised sculpture as time progressed . Some surviving examples of wooden sculpture recovered from El Manatí demonstrate that the Olmecs are likely to have created many more perishable sculptures than works sculpted from stone . 
 All of the heads <a href='drop_aux' title='1'><mark>are</mark></a>realistic , unidealised and frank descriptions of the men . It <a href='drop_aux' title='2'><mark>is</mark></a>likely that they <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> portraits of living ( or recently deceased ) rulers well known to the sculptors . Each head <a href='drop_aux' title='4'><mark>is</mark></a>distinct and naturalistic , displaying individualised features . They <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>were</mark></a> once thought to represent ballplayers although this theory <a href='drop_aux' title='6'><mark>is</mark></a>no longer widely held ; it is possible , however , that they represent rulers equipped for the Mesoamerican ballgame . Facial expressions depicted on the heads vary from stern through placid to smiling . The most naturalistic Olmec art <a href='drop_aux' title='7'><mark>is</mark></a>the earliest , appearing suddenly without surviving antecedents , with a tendency towards more stylised sculpture as time progressed . Some surviving examples of wooden sculpture recovered from El Manatí demonstrate that the Olmecs are likely to <a href='been_done' title='8'><mark>have</mark></a> created many more perishable sculptures than works sculpted from stone . 
Alll of the heads realistic , unidealised and frank descriptions of the men . It likely that they was portraits of living ( or recently deceased ) rulers well known to the sculptors . Each head distinct and naturalistic , displaying individualised features . They was once thought to represent ballplayers although this theory no longer widely held ; it is possible , however , that they represent rulers equipped for the Mesoamerican ballgame . Facial expressions depicted on the heads vary from stern thru placid to smiling . The most naturalistic Olmec art the earliest , appearing suddenly without surviving antecedents , with a tendency towards more stylised sculpture as time progressed . sum surviving examples of wooden sculpture recovered from El Manatí demonstrate that da Olmecs r likely to done created many more perishable sculptures than works sculpted from stone .