The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein

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Editorial Reviews
Review
ΓÇ£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.ΓÇ¥
ΓÇö MARK CUBAN,  owner, Dallas Mavericks; chairman, AXS TV; author of  How to Win at The Sport of Business
 

ΓÇ£In The Sports Gene David Epstein blows up the notion that 10,000 hours is all that is required for dominance in a sport and reveals the true complexity behind excellence.ΓÇ¥ 
ΓÇöDARYL MOREY, Houston Rockets general manager; cofounder of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

ΓÇ£There has been nothing like this: a strong yet accessible review of the science and genetics of sports wrapped in personal stories. It will cause readers of all stripes to question their assumptions about just what it takes to become an elite athlete.ΓÇ¥ 
ΓÇöSTEPHEN M. ROTH, exercise physiologist and director of the Functional Genomics Lab, University of Maryland
 
ΓÇ£Truly a groundbreaking work, contemporary sports journalism at its best. After reading EpsteinΓÇÖs superb bookΓÇöby turns a travelogue, highly readable primer on sports science, and string of who knew? anecdotesΓÇöyou will never watch sports the same way again.ΓÇ¥ 
ΓÇöL. JON WERTHEIM, coauthor of Scorecasting
 
ΓÇ£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 weΓÇÖve been watching in our stadiums and on our TV screens all our lives.ΓÇ¥ 
ΓÇöGARY SMITH, Sports Illustrated writer and four-time National Magazine Award winner
 
ΓÇ£David Epstein offers the definitive account of what does and does not make an athlete elite. By myth-busting conventional thinking and offering new insights, Epstein has created a must-read for athletes, parents, coaches, and anyone who wants to know what it takes to be great.ΓÇ¥
ΓÇöGEORGE DOHRMANN, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Play Their Hearts Out

"Few will put down this deliciously contrarian exploration of great athletic feats." 
ΓÇöKirkus (starred review)
 
"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

 ΓÇ£It does an excellent job covering the scientific basis of athletic performance and amplifies the research with an impressive collection of narrative examples and interviews.ΓÇ¥
 --MIKE JOYNER, Mayo Clinic physician-researcher and one of the worldΓÇÖs leading experts on human performance and exercise physiology

ΓÇ£Some controversial topics that Epstein tackles are pachyderms other writers might tiptoe uncomfortably around. He examines the roles of race and gender in athletic performance, presenting a wealth of evidence for each theory about why some people become sports stars while others never get out of the beer leagues.ΓÇ¥
ΓÇöScience News
 

ΓÇ£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."
ΓÇöWall Street Journal ("important book")

ΓÇ£Epstein is well equipped to explain the complexities of the ΓÇ£sports geneΓÇ¥ 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 isnΓÇÖt just a matter of natural talent or nurtured practiceΓÇöitΓÇÖs both.ΓÇ¥
ΓÇöScientific American (recommended books)
 



ΓÇ£The narrative follows Mr. EpsteinΓÇÖs search for the roots of elite sport performance as he encounters characters and stories so engrossing that readers may not realize theyΓÇÖre receiving an advanced course in genetics, physiology and sports medicine.ΓÇ¥



-New York Times


About the Author
David Epstein has a masterΓÇÖs degree in environmental science and 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 honors on Columbia University's varsity track squad. This is his first book. He lives in Brooklyn.

For more information visit http://thesportsgene.com.
Please buy it if you like it and can afford it.