Book SummaryThe Sports Gene, by David Epstein

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Sports Gene

In The Sports Gene, science and sports journalist David Epstein makes a science-based argument against the popular idea that enough practice can guarantee success in sports. As he argues in the book, practice cannot make you great at a sport unless you have the “right” genes to go with it. Epstein uses data to argue that some people are genetically hardwired to be better at certain sports than others, and he explores the complex interplay among genes, environment, culture, and training that produce the world’s greatest athletes.

In this guide, we have focused on Epstein’s four main themes:

• Theme 1: Practice plays a role in sports performance (although not as significant as many believe).
• Theme 2: Genes play a role in sports performance.
• Theme 3: The environment plays a role in sports performance.
• Theme 4: Culture plays a role in sports performance.

Theme 1: Practice Plays a Role in Sports Performance

The Myth of Practice

The thesis of The Sports Gene is that our genes determine our potential in sports. In making this claim, Epstein offers a counterargument to the emphasis our culture places on hard work and determination. The media popularized the idea that enough practice can guarantee success; in particular, Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling book Outliers, in which he coined the term “the 10,000-hour rule.” This “rule” claims that 10,000 hours is the amount of practice it takes to become an expert in a given field. Were the rule valid, it would mean that practicing any sport for 10,000 hours would be a virtual guarantee of success at the elite level.

Early Specialization in Sports

The attitude that more practice is better is common in American culture. As a result, parents encourage their children to specialize in sports from an early age. While this may work for some athletes (Tiger Woods would be a top-of-mind example for many people as he was hitting golf balls by 11 months old), research has shown that early specialization is not only unnecessary but potentially harmful in most sports.

A literature review of studies involving specialization in sports noted that early specialization carried risks of physical injuries, burnout, and psychological stress. The study concluded that, for most sports, waiting until late adolescence to focus on a single sport was the best strategy.

Interestingly, Tiger Woods (as noted in chapter 3 of The Sports Gene) maintains that he was never pushed to practice golf but was always the one asking to play.

Debunking the Practice Myth

As Epstein explains, practice does matter, but its power and potential vary by individual. He shares research findings to illustrate this point.

• In a study of ultra-endurance athletes, those who performed similarly reported a tenfold difference in practice time logged.
• A study of darts players who had been playing for 15 years showed that only 28% of the variance in their skill came from practice.
• A study of chess players found that it took an average of 11,000 hours to become a chess master, but the range was 3,000 to 23,000 hours. Some who had practiced more than 25,000 hours were not masters.
• In a study of athletes in “cgs” sports (“centimeters, grams, and seconds” sports such as rowing, jumping, and weight lifting), the most elite athletes logged fewer hours of training than their peers until their late teenage years.

These findings highlight why the 10,000 hours rule should not be a guide for how much to practice. As Epstein explains, there are many more factors involved in success than hours logged.

A Meta-Analysis of Practice and Sports

A 2016 study called “The Relationship Between Deliberate Practice and Performance in Sports: A Meta-Analysis” (which included studies on endurance sports and weight lifting as well as games such as chess and darts) found that 18% percent of the difference in athletes’ performance could be explained by practice. While that may seem like a low number at first, 18% percent is a huge difference in sports. For example, the world record in the mile run is 3 minutes and 43 seconds. Eighteen percent slower (4 minutes 23 seconds) would be blown away by talented high school runners. The same study found that at the highest level, deliberate practice (practice aimed at improvement rather than enjoyment) explained just 1% percent of the difference in performance, a powerful testament to innate ability.

The Real Power of Practice

Even though practice is not equally effective for everyone, Epstein notes that it is still a vital piece of sports success. So, rather than focusing on the way practice impacts an athlete's strength, endurance, and physical skills, he focuses on the ways that practice gives elite athletes a mental edge.

Epstein explains that practice allows elite athletes to build a sophisticated mental model of their sport. The more time an athlete has spent practicing, the more extensive their mental database of sport-specific knowledge and the better they can quickly and accurately make sense of what they see on the field. Epstein cites studies showing that elite chess players, field hockey players, and basketball players can accurately recreate the setup of an entire board or field after looking at a photo for just a few seconds. This increased processing speed allows athletes to make better decisions during play.

Evidence of Improved Data Processing in Athletes

An article from Grantland shows that [the brains of professional basketball players were better than basketball coaches and non-players at predicting whether the ball would go into the hoop...

The Sports Gene Summary Shortform Introduction

The Sports Gene explores how our underlying genetic differences impact our performance on the sports field. As the title implies, author David Epstein suggests a strong genetic component to success in sports. However, the book also recognizes that as complex human beings, athletes cannot be defined by genes alone. An athlete’s culture, upbringing, environment, opportunities, and training all play decisive roles in athletic success. As Epstein phrases it, success in sports is always the product of both nature and nurture.

About the Author

David Epstein has written multiple bestselling books: In addition to The Sports Gene being a New York Times bestseller, he also wrote the 2019 #1 NYT bestselling book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism. Epstein has experience in both the science and sports fields. He has worked as an ecology researcher and as a science reporter for ProPublica. His writing in the science field has received acclaim from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He was a decorated collegiate athlete...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 1.1: Practice and Performance | Popular Ideas About Practice Are Flawed

In The Sports Gene, a New York Times bestseller published in 2013, science and sports writer David Epstein makes an evidence-based argument against the popular idea that enough practice can guarantee success in sports. Rather, he argues, some people are genetically hardwired to be better at certain sports than others. His research covers the complex interplay among genes, environment, culture, and training, and he paints a well-rounded picture of why elite athletes excel in their field.

The idea that anyone can become an expert in anything if they practice enough is ingrained in popular culture. In the perennial nature vs. nurture debate, the idea that nurture (practice) can overcome nature (innate ability) has obvious appeal, especially in sports. The Sports Gene takes a scientific approach to this assertion and has a decisive rebuttal: Practice is not an equalizer in sports, and hours of hard work are no substitute for innate ability. Instead, the combination of innate ability (that comes from genes) and practice creates elite athletes. Part 1 will explore Epstein’s research on practice and sports performance by:

• Discussing where popular...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 1.2: Practice Is Not an Equalizer

The popularity of the “10,000-hour rule” phrase has conferred a disproportionate emphasis on practice as the defining variable in success. Findings from several other research studies support a more well-rounded view of the power of practice. For some, practice provides the medium for innate (genetic) ability to flourish. Given the same amount of practice, others may have a more difficult time learning a particular skill. Next, we will look at evidence that Epstein has collected from sports and beyond that suggests each of us responds to practice and learns skills to varying degrees and in varying timeframes.

The Matthew Effect

Education researchers have been studying the effects of practice for decades. In the early 1900s, Edward Thorndike (who Epstein notes is considered to be the founder of educational psychology) studied adults who were given the opportunity to practice a task. He found that:

• Everyone improved at the task (multiplying three-digit numbers), but those who were better at the task to begin with improved faster. Their natural “head start” coupled with practice actually widened the performance gap.
• **Thorndike’s conclusion was that innate...

Shortform Exercise: Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Knowing that there isn’t a direct correlation between practice time and mastery can help us to be more patient with ourselves (and others) when we struggle to learn a new skill, and more humble when we are able to master a new skill quickly.

What is a skill that you have tried to pick up recently, but have found frustrating to learn?

The Sports Gene Summary Part 1.3: The Real Power of Practice

We have reviewed theories and evidence for why practice alone cannot determine outcomes in sports. In this section, we will look at how Epstein highlights practice as a way for naturally gifted athletes to develop their skills.

Practice Builds Sport-Specific Wisdom

By the time they reach the elite level, Epstein notes that most athletes have spent so much time playing and practicing that they know their sport backward and forward. Because they know the sport so well, elite athletes can make sense of the information they see on the field more quickly than the average player. Studies have shown that experts’ eyes move faster through visual information from their field of expertise than the average persons’.

• Elite chess players, field hockey players, and basketball players can accurately recreate the setup of an entire board or field after looking at a photo for just a few seconds.
• Elite volleyball players can discern whether the ball is present in a snapshot of a game after a 16-millisecond glance (what would just look like a flash of light for most of us).

This is not because every professional chess, volleyball, and baseball player has a photographic...

Shortform Exercise: Consider Your Expertise

We have seen that 10,000 hours of practice is not a magic number when mastering a new skill. But chances are there are several skills we have spent so much time on that we can do them well without even thinking. Sometimes we may not even realize that we have “mastered” a skill.

What is a skill or activity that you feel you are an expert at? What makes you feel you’re an expert?

The Sports Gene Summary Part 2.1: Body Type and Performance

We have examined the relationship between practice and expertise, and we have reviewed evidence for why practice alone cannot guarantee success in sports. We have seen that the combination of practice and innate ability (or talent) creates elite athletes. Next, we will look at where this innate ability comes from.

Different sports place different demands on the human body. Sprinters need to be fast. Soccer players need to be coordinated. Most people’s mental model of a female gymnast would be of someone small in stature, while our mental model of a basketball player is likely tall. We are all born with a unique body type. We can train our bodies to be the best they can be at a sport, but no amount of training can change the fact that another athlete’s body may be a better fit.

Epstein notes that as sports become more competitive, athletes often start to look more and more similar to each other in regard to certain traits. At the most elite level, athletes competing in the same event often share remarkably similar body types. In the next section, we will:

• Look at specific traits Epstein highlights and discuss how they provide an advantage in various sports....

The Sports Gene Summary Part 2.2: Less Obvious Traits and Performance

The traits discussed above may be obvious, such as a basketball player’s height, or more subtle, such as a relatively long torso. But all of them are visible to the naked eye. Next, we will look at a few traits that Epstein highlights that are not as readily apparent.

Eyesight: Visual Acuity

Testimony and measurements from optometrists and ophthalmologists reveals that professional baseball players have eyesight that far exceeds the average person’s.

(Shortform note: When we visit an optometrist or ophthalmologist, we hope that they will tell us that we have “20/20 vision.” This ratio has become a colloquialism for “perfect eyesight.” It means that from 20 feet away, we can clearly and accurately see what we should be able to see from 20 feet away. If we could stand 20 feet away to see what most people see from 10 feet away, then our vision would be 20/10.)

Epstein includes testimony from an ophthalmologist working with major league baseball teams who found that the visual acuity of the average MLB player was 20/11 or 20/12 (Most charts available for the general population only go to 20/15). Half of the players on the Dodgers between 1992 and 1995 had 20/10...

Shortform Exercise: Choose Your Sport

Our genes help dictate which sports we are naturally best at. So being aware of our traits can help us choose the sports where we have the best chances for success.

Think of a sport or activity you either participate in now or have tried in the past that did not feel like a good fit. Why wasn’t it (or isn’t it) a good fit?

The Sports Gene Summary Part 3: Sports Is a Magnet for “Extreme” Body Types

Athletic people with an average build have the potential to perform well in several different sports. Epstein notes that experts in the field of anthropometry (the study of human form and function) used to be convinced that the best athletes would be those that fell right in the center of a bell curve of human form; or, the most average person possible. This logic does make sense in the context of finding the best all-around athletes. Athletes who are too big and heavy will likely have a harder time running long distances. Athletes who are too small will likely have a harder time lifting or throwing heavy objects. It stood to reason, then, that an average person should be able to compete in any sport with some degree of success.

Until relatively recently, this was the case. Epstein notes that in 1925, elite volleyball players were the same size as discus throwers, and high jumpers were the same size as shot putters. Put someone with an “average” build into any event at the Olympics today, and they would likely look quite out of place. Today, athletes in many sports represent some of the extremes of human proportions.

Epstein cites a survey that looked at body measurements...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 4: Different Genes and Different Training Responses

We have reviewed how both physiology and practice contribute to athletes’ success, and we know that our anatomy and physiology is a function of our genes. As we have seen, traits such as long legs and off-the-charts eyesight give some athletes a natural genetic advantage in their sport. While we may know that these traits are encoded for in our DNA, finding the exact genes that produce these characteristics remains elusive. However, science has made great strides in finding specific genes that impact sports performance. This section will review Epstein’s research on how genetic differences determine people’s response to training.

Genes and the Central Dogma of Biology*

Before we dive into a discussion of genes and sports, we have included a basic refresher on genes.

DNA is housed within the nucleus of our cells. We inherit our DNA from our parents. When cells divide, our DNA is condensed into structures called chromosomes. Each of our cells (except sex cells) has 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total). One set of chromosomes comes from our mother, and one set comes from our father. **The two sets of each chromosome that we inherit from our parents make up...

Shortform Exercise: Personalize Your Expectations

As we have seen, people respond differently to identical training plans. We might work hard at something and still not get the results we want, or, we might be pleasantly surprised by our body’s response to training.

Has there been a time when you trained or practiced for something and were surprised by your results? Compare your expectations to your results.

The Sports Gene Summary Part 5: Specific Genes and Their Impact on the Field

There is no single gene that can account for an athlete’s success. Epstein notes that at our current level of understanding, investigating the effects of a single gene can tell us more about why someone is not an elite athlete than about why they are. He notes that even given how far our knowledge of specific genes has come, the most powerful piece of technology in determining whether someone will be an Olympic runner is still a stopwatch. In making this point, Epstein conveys a message of optimism to the vast majority of us who are not elite athletes. We should not let research on a single gene or trait discourage us.

It will be a long time before science unravels the genetic basis of even seemingly basic traits. For example, Epstein explains that it took a study of nearly 4,000 people and nearly 300,000 gene variants to determine just 45% of the genetic basis for height! However, for some genes, scientists have developed a decent idea of their role and effect on our physiology. We will look at a few examples that Epstein highlights next.

ACTN3 Gene

As discussed above, our ratio of fast- to slow-twitch muscle fibers can determine our success in certain...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 6: Genetic Mutations in Sports—Helpful and Deadly

In addition to the genes discussed above, Epstein discusses a few specific genetic mutations and their impact on athletic performance.

Genetic Mutations

Genetic mutations can have a major impact on any person, including athletes. Our DNA is made up of several molecules, but most of us think of our DNA as a series of letters: specifically, A, T, G, C. These four letters stand for Adenine, Thymine Cytosine, and Guanine. These are the four nitrogen bases found in nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA. The order of the nucleotides is “read” like a book of instructions to make living things. Every series of three “letters” codes for a specific amino acid. Amino acids are put together to build proteins.

Changing a letter in the sequence can change the way the genetic code ‘reads’ and can alter the instructions for making proteins. Some of these changes will not affect the organism, and some can have large effects. For example, sickle cell anemia (a disease in which red blood cells take on a sickle shape and are less able to travel through blood vessels) is caused by a single A being changed to a...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 7: Insight From Animal Athletes

While human athletes self-select into their sports, often based on inherited advantageous physical traits, canine and equine athletes are bred for their events. The power of genetics in athletic performance has long been known to breeders looking for the fastest dogs and horses. Whippets and Alaskan Huskies are breeds whose genes are especially well-suited to their respective races. In this section, we will look at Epstein’s research on athletic traits from animal athletes and the insight they provide for humans.

Whippets and the GDF-8 Gene

Racing whippets are bred for speed. In the most competitive category of whippet racing (grade A), 40% of the dogs have a copy of what is usually a very rare mutated version of the gene that produces myostatin, a protein coded for by the GDF-8 gene, which acts as a stop signal for muscle growth. At less elite levels of racing, the frequency of the mutation decreases. Epstein notes that 14% of the dogs in grade B racing carry the mutation, and there are almost no carriers in grade C.

It seems clear that having one mutated copy of the GDF-8 gene is beneficial for speed. But if a puppy inherits two copies of the mutated gene...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 8: Sex and Performance

All of the genes discussed so far can have an impact on an athlete’s success. But Epstein argues that no single gene has as much of an impact on an athlete's performance as the SRY gene found on the Y chromosome. He even goes so far as to say that, should there be a single gene to be labeled “the sports gene,” it would be the SRY gene. We will look at his argument for why next.

Epstein cites differences in athletic performance between men and women as a decisive testament to the power of genes in sports. Differences in performance between men and women are well documented, largely predictable, and can, at least in part, be traced to the SRY gene. In this section we will:

• Look at some of the physiological differences between men and women
• Discuss why these differences exist
• Present evidence that a binary view of the sexes does not encompass the full range of physiologic diversity among athletes

Differences at the Elite Level

Until very recently, women’s records in running events were gaining rapidly on men's, and Epstein notes that it looked to some like male/female differences in running performance might disappear. He discusses a 2002 article in...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 9: Genes and the Story of Human Migration

Elite athletes are a product of their heritage long before they are a product of their training. In exploring how genetic diversity impacts sports performance Epstein goes all the way back to the very beginnings of our species. Looking at humans over evolutionary time can help us understand why the genetic diversity that we see on the playing field exists.

The Recent African Origin Model

Epstein notes that up until around the 1970s, many anthropologists believed that modern man had evolved independently in different populations around the world. However, extensive DNA sampling from populations all over the globe suggests otherwise. DNA samples show a greater variety of traits represented in the collective genome of African populations than populations from other parts of the world. For some traits the difference in diversity between DNA of African origin and DNA from the rest of the world is immense. For example, Epstein notes that for one set of genes, an African Pygmy population had more diversity than the rest of the world put together.

DNA sampling helped change the way anthropologists construct the story of modern man.** The fact that there is so much...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 10: Genes and Evolutionary Adaptations

As we have discussed, our genes are influenced by our environment. But the interplay between genes and environment does not begin when we are born. Our genome is a product of thousands of years of evolutionary history. Our genes can help to tell the story of the environment that our ancestors evolved in. Next, we will look at Epstein’s discussion of how evolutionary environments developed the traits that give modern-day athletes a competitive advantage. Specifically, Epstein uses ancestral environments to help explain why many elite runners come from very specific populations.

(Shortform note: We use the term “adaptation” to refer to a specific trait that humans have developed over time in response to environmental pressure. This section deals with general adaptations and their relevance to endurance athletes. However, Epstein’s discussion of these principles in the book mainly focuses on explaining why Kenyan runners so heavily dominate the world of distance running. We will do the same.)

Latitude and Endurance

People with recent African ancestry have long arms and legs relative to the rest of their bodies. A trend that holds true in animal and human populations from...

The Sports Gene Summary Part 11: Society and Performance

Epstein argues that an athlete's dedication to their sport is, at least in part, a product of socioeconomic factors and culture. He notes that even the genetic advantages of a Nilotic body type, the ideal altitude circumstances, and the narrow lower legs of Kenyan runners still do not completely explain their running dominance. These traits certainly give Kenyan runners who decide to train an advantage, but to run a marathon in under two hours 10 minutes takes an incredible amount of dedication. So too does being able to run the 100-meter dash in under 10 seconds. Athletes whose ancestors hail from West Africa may have a genetic edge in sprinting, but that does not explain why so many Jamaican athletes have the desire to train for sprint events. We will look at the interplay between culture and sports success next.

Sprinting Celebrity in Jamaica

Just as Kenya is known for producing talented distance runners, Jamaica has a reputation for producing talented sprinters. Epstein notes that the national 100m dash record-holders in Canada and Great Britain are both originally from Jamaica, and many of the top sprinters in the US have Jamaican roots.

(Shortform...