DNA Testing for Athletic Talent

Good athletic ability as a teen may translate into a free education. Exceptional athletic skills may mean a lucrative professional contract. A first year contract in any professional sport may mean financial security for a lifetime. Many parents want athletic opportunities for their child and some will even take a DNA test to see which sport best suits their child:

“…”I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity,” Campiglia, 36, said as she watched a toddler class at Boulder Indoor Soccer in which Noah struggled to take direction from the coach between juice and potty breaks.

“I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration,” she said.”

link: New genetic test asks which sport a child was born to play

Would a pre-school DNA test predicted that Michael Jordan would be a basketball prodigy? Would an early DNA test have told Earl Woods that his son Eldrick ( aka “Tiger” ) might become one of the greatest right fielders in American baseball?

In a sport such as golf, there are admittedly more naturally talented players than Tiger Woods. One gifted and contrasting example is John Daly. On just natural abilities, theoretically John Daly might test out to be a potentially a better golf talent than Tiger Woods. However, the difference appears when such factors as focus, imagination, will to win and work ethic are considered. There is yet to be DNA comparisons for such intangibles.

Furthermore, if Michael Jordan’s parents had known that their son had the potential to become one of the greatest basketball players of his generation, might that knowledge have altered the course of history? Perhaps Michael Jordan’s parents might have emphasized basketball to such a degree that the potential NBA superstar found solace in playing the flute or trombone. The catering to possibility may alter the course of history.

And to the parents wanting to send a DNA sample of their child to the laboratory, does the fun of sports have to end so early in childhood?

Catherine Forsythe