
The Sports Gene
Talent, Practice and the Truth About Success
David Epstein(Author)
Yellow Jersey Press
Published on 2. January 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-224-09162-6 (ISBN)
Description
'A wonderful book. Thoughtful...fascinating' Malcolm Gladwell
Do you believe some people are born athletes?
Is sporting talent innate or something that can be achieved through endurance and practise?
In this ground-breaking and entertaining exploration of athletic success, award-winning writer David Epstein gets to the heart of the great nature vs. nurture debate, and explodes myths about how and why humans excel.
Along the way, Epstein:
- Exposes the flaws in the so-called 10,000-hour rule that states that rigorous practice from a young age is the only route to success.
- Shows why some skills that we imagine are innate are not - like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball player.
- Uncovers why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like the motivation to practice, might in fact have important genetic components.
Throughout, The Sports Gene forces us to rethink the very nature of success.
Do you believe some people are born athletes?
Is sporting talent innate or something that can be achieved through endurance and practise?
In this ground-breaking and entertaining exploration of athletic success, award-winning writer David Epstein gets to the heart of the great nature vs. nurture debate, and explodes myths about how and why humans excel.
Along the way, Epstein:
- Exposes the flaws in the so-called 10,000-hour rule that states that rigorous practice from a young age is the only route to success.
- Shows why some skills that we imagine are innate are not - like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball player.
- Uncovers why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like the motivation to practice, might in fact have important genetic components.
Throughout, The Sports Gene forces us to rethink the very nature of success.
Reviews / Votes
A wonderful book. Thoughtful... fascinating. -- Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers Provides a powerful and convincing analysis of how genes influence all our lives, especially the careers of elite sportsmen * The Times * A fascinating, thought-provoking look at the leading edge of sports performance, written by a guy who knows the territory. David, besides being a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, was a collegiate runner for Columbia University. More to the point, he's a terrific researcher and a fine, thoughtful writer -- Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code Full credit to David Epstein, a Sports Illustrated journalist with a serious and deep knowledge of genetics and sports science, for his terrific and unblinking new book, The Sports Gene, a timely corrective to the talent-denial industry -- Ed Smith * New Statesman * Endlessly fascinating -- John Harding * Daily Mail * Epstein's book does not try to simplify the argument, but it does provide a welcome corrective to those who have deliberately underplayed the notion that genetic make-up is irrelevant -- Mike Atherton * The Times * David Epstein's illuminating synthesis of the latest research into the nature v nurture debate as applied to sport -- Simon Redfern * Independent * Provoking spirited debate about the merits of the 10,000 hour rule -- Rick Broadbent * The Times * An important book on the relative roles of genes and environment-nature and nurture-in the building of a professional athlete ... bound to put the cat among the pigeons * Wall Street Journal * Captivating...fascinating...His answer to the questions "Nature or nurture?" is both. If that sounds like a hedge, it isn't: instead, it's a testament to the author's close attention to nuance. * New York Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
254 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-224-09162-6 (9780224091626)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2013
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€10.99
Available for download
Person
David Epstein is an award-winning senior writer for Sports Illustrated, where he covers sports science, medicine, and Olympic sports. His investigative pieces are among Sports Illustrated's most high-profile stories. An avid runner himself, he earned All-East honours on Columbia University's varsity track squad. This is his first book.