The Sports Gene

Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance

By: David Epstein

Narrated by: David Epstein

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

"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.

©2013 David Epstein (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"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)

An engaging, scholarly, & memorable book!

This book impressed me from start to finish. Endlessly fascinating, scholarly & thoroughly enjoyable. Those who like research presented in everyday language will appreciate the author’s concise and engaging language.

The narrator was easy to listen to *except* when he attempted (heavy emphasis on “attempted”) to speak in foreign accents when discussing an athletes, coach, researcher, etc from elsewhere. This was a fairly frequent occurrence. It made me cringe every.single.time and detracted from the authors content. It comes across as unprofessional (this isn’t story-time in elementary school) and uneducated (because the accents were so poorly done). Aside from this, it was a home run!

Interesting listen

I didn't get exactly what I was expecting from a research point of view, but this was very interesting to listen too. It helps with understanding the differences of various groups of people and how they adapt and enhance their athletic performance.

Well-narrated insight into elite athletic performance

The Sports Gene is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of different factors affecting elite athletic performance.

I read this after reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and found it to be an interesting extension of some of the physical outlier explanations offered in previous works.

I would recommend this book if you read Outliers or similar books, and your interest is particularly in analyzing physical gifts in terms of a nature vs. nurture discussion.

A Must Read!

This book is fantastic & intriguing! A definite page turner. David does a marvelous job of mixing science with storytelling. Whether you have a basic understanding of the human body and genetics or not, I think it’s written in a way such that we can all marvel at the spectacular capabilities of the human body!

Amazing insights, great story with naunce

Engaging masterpiece. A thought provoking book analysis that doesn't get stuck on one part of the story. Goes in so many directions and everything is tied together unlike similar books that got stuck repeating the same idea that I eventually just put down. Great information and insights that look at different angles. it was easy for me tie research and authors analysis into own life.

great book!!! Would read again

Loved it. would recommend for any curious about fitness, spots and health. good read for sure

Great Study of an Important Subject

Would you listen to The Sports Gene again? Why?

Very informative field with facts that may take a second listening to grasp.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Love the anecdotes from this truly world-wide evaluation.

What does David Epstein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Author is a great reader who clearly cares about the subject.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It contains a lot of information that needs to be fully contemplated by the reader/listener.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Mr. Epstein forr your scholarship and passion.

Absolutely loved it!

What made the experience of listening to The Sports Gene the most enjoyable?

As a past competitive athlete and current sports nutritionist myself, I found this book very captivating! Many times I was reminiscent of my personal memories as an athlete and found I was able to relate my personal experience and questions about athletic performance to the stories in this book.

It really makes all of the information we learn in classes applicable and connected. Epstein makes me appreciate the wonders of the human body even more than I did before. I felt like he didn't directly argue for or against any one side of the nature vs. nurture argument, rather he kept telling stories of all these different athletes who are so individually unique and excel in surprising ways; he lets the reader make the decision on what they want to support.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in science, the human body, sports, biology, or competition.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely! I listened to this book while I was driving, walking to class, sitting around at home, and any other time I wasn't doing school work.

FAVORITE book!!

So interesting if you have both an interest in sports and science! The book is filled with fascinating research.

interesting

I enjoyed the first half of the book the most. 2nd half dragged a bit, for example spending too long on the Kenyans.