Athletic Success Determined by … Belly Button Placement?

There’s always been a nature vs. nurture debate regarding individuals’ athletic success: is it more due to hard work or natural ability (or – gasp! – a combination of both)? Especially prevalent is the question: are black people somehow hard-wired to do better in sports?

Well, a study led by Duke professor Andre Bejan looked into two of the most oft-cited examples of the argument – whites’ relative dominance in swimming vs. blacks’ dominance in running. (Yes, like so many debates, this one often turns into a black/white issue.) What they found was that natural gifts do make quite a difference – but maybe not how you’d expect.

>>>Read the full post at SportsGrid.