Are Athletes Born That Way?
SodaHead Living
2011/03/10 21:00:00
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Did you ever dream you'd grow up to be like Tom Brady or Serena Williams?
If you didn't, it may not be your fault.
Marketers of mail-order genetic tests claim the answer to whether a child will eventually become an elite athlete is in his or her genes -- and can be determined for the bargain price of $169.
Bradley Marston of Bountiful, Utah, purchased a test online a year ago for his daughter Elizabeth, then 9.
She's "a very talented soccer player," Marston told The Associated Press, and he wanted to know if she had a variation of a gene called ACTN3. One form of the gene has been linked with explosive bursts of strength needed for activities such as sprinting and weight lifting.
The $169 ACTN3 test, sold by Atlas Sports Genetics, consists of two swabs to scrape cells from the inside of the cheek. Customers return the used swabs to the company and receive an analysis several days later, according to the AP.
In other words, your entire future as an athlete is determined with the swab of a cheek.
Elizabeth's tests showed she has a sprinting-related gene form -- and now her dad hopes she'll win a sports scholarship to college.
But experts say not so fast. University of Maryland researcher Stephen Roth, a specialist in exercise physiology and genetics who has studied the ACTN3 gene, told the AP that the science of how genes influence athletic ability "is in its infancy" and that marketers' claims are based on "gross assumptions."
Roth said roughly 80 percent of people worldwide have the ACTN3 gene that has been linked with explosive force. But very few of them become famous sports stars, implying that it takes more than just good genes.
What do you think?
If you didn't, it may not be your fault.
Marketers of mail-order genetic tests claim the answer to whether a child will eventually become an elite athlete is in his or her genes -- and can be determined for the bargain price of $169.
Bradley Marston of Bountiful, Utah, purchased a test online a year ago for his daughter Elizabeth, then 9.
She's "a very talented soccer player," Marston told The Associated Press, and he wanted to know if she had a variation of a gene called ACTN3. One form of the gene has been linked with explosive bursts of strength needed for activities such as sprinting and weight lifting.
The $169 ACTN3 test, sold by Atlas Sports Genetics, consists of two swabs to scrape cells from the inside of the cheek. Customers return the used swabs to the company and receive an analysis several days later, according to the AP.
In other words, your entire future as an athlete is determined with the swab of a cheek.
Elizabeth's tests showed she has a sprinting-related gene form -- and now her dad hopes she'll win a sports scholarship to college.
But experts say not so fast. University of Maryland researcher Stephen Roth, a specialist in exercise physiology and genetics who has studied the ACTN3 gene, told the AP that the science of how genes influence athletic ability "is in its infancy" and that marketers' claims are based on "gross assumptions."
Roth said roughly 80 percent of people worldwide have the ACTN3 gene that has been linked with explosive force. But very few of them become famous sports stars, implying that it takes more than just good genes.
What do you think?
Read More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110308/ap_on_sp_ot/us...
Most of it is determination and commitment.
Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods ..
I'm sure they all had natural talent but that's not thee only thing that contributed to their career .
But some of it comes from inside- WILL
People are born with certain physical capabilities. Those capabilities determine whether you can actually, physically achieve something. Then, when you push yourself, that takes self-discpline that is built up through learned experience and encouragements from peers and parents. The genes mentioned here are useful, and are certainly a boost for athletes, giving them some advantage, but it does not guarantee that a person will be an athlete-- or is capable or inclined to be so.
Part of it is your genetic make-up and part of it is your environment. Being athletic does not make you an athlete. Some of the best athletes in the world are not in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or any other professional league. Many are in the military (thank goodness) and sadly many get caught up in life good/bad (family, kids, work, drugs, alcohol, crime, etc).
If you train hard enough, you can acheive anything!
If you hold passion for something, you can bring any dream to life!
If you crave something, then you don't stop until you succeed.
It's got nothing to do with genetic S#!T
....... I think their parents buy that stuff in later years < s >