Re:Man and Superman
by brudgers on Monday September 02, 2013 @11:33AM
(#6315605)
Every example is of an individual sport. If one looks at team sports, the advantage of any one phenotype over others begins to disappear: most tellingly in the world's most popular sport. Top footballers range from Messi to Ronaldo to Cech. "Third lung" is from the Korean penninsula, not 2000 meters.
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You're just cherry-picking. Pick another sport: basketball. Here you'll find a collection of players way above average height. In fact, players who are average height are the extreme outliers in basketball.
Other than basketball, there are few team sports where stature is a specific advantage (and stature is not a unique genetic characteristic like long Achilles tendons or elevated red blood cells. Thus cricket, rugby, and American football allow for a wide range of physiques at the elite level.
Re:Man and Superman
by daleharvey on Monday September 02, 2013 @12:03PM
(#6315727)
I dont disagree with what you are saying, but I think its woth mentioning a lot of people speculate that Messi might get an advantage from his growth deficiency, he has a low center of gravity which can help shifting momentum (not to take anything away from the best player in the world)
Peter Cech is nearly a foot taller. England international striker Peter Couch is more than a foot. Christiano Ronaldo's stature is in between. The Brazilian great "Garrincha" - aka Anjo de Pernas Tortas - lived with physical deformity.
What they have in common is having enjoyed the opportunity to express their unique abilities and the will to develop them to an elite level. A high red blood cell count won't make a Trinidadian into a world class cross country skier.