In high school, I wondered whether the Jamaican Americans who made our track team so successful might carry some special speed gene from their tiny island. In college, I ran against Kenyans, and wondered whether endurance genes might have traveled with them from East Africa. At the same time, I began to notice that a training group on my team could consist of five men who run next to one another, stride for stride, day after day, and nonetheless turn out five entirely different runners. How could this be?
We all knew a star athlete in high school. The one who made it look so easy. He was the starting quarterback and shortstop; she was the all-state point guard and high-jumper. Naturals. Or were they?
The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?
The truth is far messier than a simple dichotomy between nature and nurture. In the decade since the sequencing of the human genome, researchers have slowly begun to uncover how the relationship between biological endowments and a competitor’s training environment affects athleticism. Sports scientists have gradually entered the era of modern genetic research.
In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success, Sports Illustrated senior writer David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving this great riddle. He investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence.
Along the way, Epstein dispels many of our perceptions about why top athletes excel. He shows why some skills that we assume are innate, like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball or cricket batter, are not, and why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like an athlete’s will to train, might in fact have important genetic components.
This subject necessarily involves digging deep into sensitive topics like race and gender. Epstein explores controversial questions such as:
Are black athletes genetically predetermined to dominate both sprinting and distance running, and are their abilities influenced by Africa’s geography?
Are there genetic reasons to separate male and female athletes in competition?
Should we test the genes of young children to determine if they are destined for stardom?
Can genetic testing determine who is at risk of injury, brain damage, or even death on the field?
Through on-the-ground reporting from below the equator and above the Arctic Circle, revealing conversations with leading scientists and Olympic champions, and interviews with athletes who have rare genetic mutations or physical traits, Epstein forces us to rethink the very nature of athleticism.
Review
“If you have any interest in being at the forefront of change in the sports industry you have to read this book. The Sports Gene goes far beyond cliche and digs into the science that every professional sports team will have to incorporate into their thinking. It is a must read.”
— MARK CUBAN, owner, Dallas Mavericks; chairman, AXS TV; author of How to Win at The Sport of Business
“Step by surprising step, David Epstein takes our hand, grips our mind, and leads us deeper and deeper into the fascinating jungle of sports and genetics . . . until we finally begin to see the miracle we’ve been watching in our stadiums and on our TV screens all our lives.”
—GARY SMITH, Sports Illustrated writer and four-time National Magazine Award winner
"The Sports Gene, written for top athletes and just plain weekend duffers (one of whom tests the bounds of all things human to try to become a pro golfer), is a story told elegantly and with David Epstein's indefatigable powers of investigation. Do elite athletes have innate gifts or can they be produced? I've always wondered--and in this groundbreaking book, I finally have the answer. Spend a few hours. You'll be educated, and you'll be fascinated."
--PETER KING, senior writer, Sports Illustrated
“The Sports Gene is bound to put the cat among the pigeons in the blank-slate crowd who think that we can all be equal as long as we equalize environmental inputs such as practice."
—Wall Street Journal ("important book")
“The narrative follows Mr. Epstein’s search for the roots of elite sport performance as he encounters characters and stories so engrossing that readers may not realize they’re receiving an advanced course in genetics, physiology and sports medicine.”
-New York Times
“Epstein is well equipped to explain the complexities of the “sports gene” search. Time and time again, his deeply researched and nuanced investigations of the genetics underlying the athleticism of different races, genders and individuals reinforce a comforting, commonsense conclusion: excelling at sports isn’t just a matter of natural talent or nurtured practice—it’s both.”
—Scientific American (recommended books)
The Sports Gene - August 1, 2013
Book Language: English
Pages: 260
File Type: Pdf, Epub, Mobi
File Size: 4.58 MB
ISBN-10: 1591845114
ISBN-13: 978-1591845119
