The debate has occurred for ages; what defines us as human beings- Nature or Nurture? This question is especially intriguing when analyzing what give athletes an advantage. Do certain genes affect how well athletes perform or is it an environment filled with artificial methods to make our bodies better? In Malcolm Gladwell’s article, In athletic competitions, what qualifies as a sporting chance, he analyzes just that. Gladwell discusses and provides examples from athletes who were born with genetic mutations, supporting the Nature argument such as, Eero Mäntyranta, and other athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, who resorted to drugs to improve his athletic abilities which support the Nurture argument.
The nature the argument states that only …show more content…
Gladwell specifically discusses athletes who have elective surgery or turn to drug use which “turn the athlete into an improved version of his natural self” (Gladwell). Gladwell uses Major League Baseball as an example, which “permits pitchers to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of their throwing arm with a tendon taken from a cadaver or elsewhere in the athlete’s body” (Gladwell). In addition to performance enhancing surgeries, athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, use performance enhancing drugs. Lance Armstrong, and other members of the Postal Service squad, used hormone EPO and blood transfusions to boost the number of oxygen- carrying blood cells to increase endurance. Based on the article, I believe Gladwell supports the Nurture argument. Gladwell states that performance enhancing “… is a vision of sports in which the object of competition is to use science, intelligence, and sheer will to conquer natural difference”. Gladwell also states, “Hamilton and Armstrong may simply be athletes who regard this kind of achievement as worthier than the gold medals of a man with the dumb luck to be born with a random genetic mutation”. It is clear that Gladwell supports those who change their body to perform better rather than those who are born with certain
The nature the argument states that only …show more content…
Gladwell specifically discusses athletes who have elective surgery or turn to drug use which “turn the athlete into an improved version of his natural self” (Gladwell). Gladwell uses Major League Baseball as an example, which “permits pitchers to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of their throwing arm with a tendon taken from a cadaver or elsewhere in the athlete’s body” (Gladwell). In addition to performance enhancing surgeries, athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, use performance enhancing drugs. Lance Armstrong, and other members of the Postal Service squad, used hormone EPO and blood transfusions to boost the number of oxygen- carrying blood cells to increase endurance. Based on the article, I believe Gladwell supports the Nurture argument. Gladwell states that performance enhancing “… is a vision of sports in which the object of competition is to use science, intelligence, and sheer will to conquer natural difference”. Gladwell also states, “Hamilton and Armstrong may simply be athletes who regard this kind of achievement as worthier than the gold medals of a man with the dumb luck to be born with a random genetic mutation”. It is clear that Gladwell supports those who change their body to perform better rather than those who are born with certain