The Pursuit For NBA's Next Best Thing: A Scientific Approach

Little knowledge tells you that the best basketball players and the greatest sprinters in the world are predominantly African Americans. The same tiny knowledge says that most Nobel science laureates are white people. However, there are no scientific conclusions that validate these facts. The distribution of abilities based on race or skin color has not been proven in any way.

A famous book with a dash of modern anthropology tackles the apparent domination of Africans and African-Americans in sports, attributing their skills to their genes. The book observes that most people are afraid to talk, and perhaps accept, the fact because of certain factions of politically correct, yet high-ranking postmodern professors.

Scientifically speaking, collecting genetic data infers the genetic basis for differences in abilities and other characteristics among people. According to a professor, there is no substitute for this genetic basis. Consistency in the differences in acts, physical features and accomplishments have been documented.

What is developmentally clear, according to certain professors, is that the body is "sufficiently plastic" whereby the subtle differences in life and growth conditions can profoundly affect life itself. Hence, the simple observation of certain differences does not pass for genetic argument. Accepting genetic basis for ability in athletics and subsequently rejecting it for brainpower are based on the evidentiary standard.

Whichever is the case, the task that is scientifically impossible is still at hand: drawing certain conclusions from data that are poorly controlled. Needless to say, controls are always a crucial facet in the field of science.

The undisputed truth, though, is that human beings differ. Thus, there is a complex relationship existing between groups of people and genetic variation patterns in human beings. As per observation and scientific finding, populations all over the world are heterogeneous, and are sometimes built in opposition to other groups, one way or another. With opposing, and to some extent, conflicting groups, a certainty is that the factions that are most notable and important to us don't correspond in nature in a considerable way.

Observation-wise, African-American men of highly dissimilar builds join athletics and excel in it. Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal, already basketball legends in their own right, have shown just that, and so have other African-Americans dominating the NBA today. However, statistics show that more number, in fact, do not excel. Indeed, it takes more than just race and mere biology to become an outstanding and prominent athlete. It will not be factual to assume that excellence in profession serves as evidence for superiority in genetics.

According to professors, this is a crucial symmetry: being a top NBA player notes the ability to play basketball well. However, failing to be part of NBA does not necessarily mean the lack of ability to play basketball. Moreover, the existing genetic data reflects that DNA variations do not respect the boundaries of human groups.

Presumably though, being an elite basketball athlete requires a "genetic gift" of some sort. However, it is still safe to assume that those gifts must be vastly varied and broadly distributed among all people across the world.

The bottom line is that taking achievements as a matter of race undermines these individual achievements as individuals. Most likely, each human being's genetic gifts are way far from what genetics dictates. The next big thing to the world's biggest basketball event can just pop out of nowhere, defying all evidences at present.

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