So You Want to Be an NBA Star: Do You Have the Genes?

LONDON, April 26, 2008 — -- Something new is going on with the use of DNA that could make a very few lucky people rich, and devastate the hopes and dreams of many others. And it raises huge ethical issues for most of us, on top of the DNA issues we already worrying about.

Aside from being great athletes, what do you suppose Mohammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, and Tiger Woods all have in common? If you believe some scientists, the logic is that they were all born to be great sports achievers because there are specific genetic traits that can predict exceptional athletic ability.

Of course this idea of predestined achievement by a few, and conversely predestined under-achievement by the many, goes against the teachings of a lot of philosophers and self-improvement gurus who say that most of us are capable of greatness. But, it seems, the lab boys disagree.

We use DNA to solve murders, screen for predisposition to diseases, study the evolution of prehistoric creatures, and match up children with their biological parents when a polygamy sect is broken up.

We debate how science can use DNA for the better good, while protecting society from the use of DNA to custom-build certain kinds of humans through DNA engineering. That may seem a distant, maybe impossible, prospect.

But what you may not realise is that DNA profiling, which in scientific terms is off shelf technology, is now being used to identify a pre-disposition to "enhanced athletic performance."

In other words, we are on the verge of trying to identify the next generation of super athletes, and possibly on the verge of one of the great all-time robberies of the human spirit, the will to win based on pure desire, guts and determination.

Here is the background. According the Guardian newspaper of London, a leading sports scientist by the name of Dr. Henning Wackerhage of the school of medicine sciences at Aberdeen University, has been approached by an unnamed professional sports organization about the possibility of screening players to discover whether they have a genetic key to sports excellence.