IndexIntroductionUnderstanding the term "talent" in sportNature vs. education: the debateConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIt is common for spectators/spectators to perceive a successful athlete as "talent". The media is one of the many attributes behind the reasoning why we call high-performance athletes “talented.” The term talent is intertwined with the statement to describe someone who consistently performs at a high athletic level or achieves/learns tasks extremely quickly (Vaeyens et al., 2008). Before we can delve into the discussion of an athlete's abilities in a sport and nature vs. nurture in sports, the term “talent” requires a thorough understanding. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Understanding the Term “Talent” in Sports Identifying talent is one of the biggest and most lucrative problems in sports. There is a constant search for a new David Beckham in football, the next Serena Williams on the tennis court and Usain Bolt in running. People and the media are demanding more. Scientific research has been conducted and some reach a null outcome (Starkes., 2016). However, the German Tennis Federation (GTF) has organized a talent identification camp to scout their next potential high-performance athlete. A trained psychologist was also used to identify the next talent in the recruited group. Tennis players who joined the program were tested for tennis-specific skills, but also for general athleticism. The psychologist found that the better the overall athleticism, the more tennis-specific skills tennis players were able to acquire in a short period of time (Coghlan., 2003) Nature vs. Nurture: The “Athletes” Debate Were they born or raised?” “Is talent a product of development or genes?”. When discussing the origin of talent, the most common “nature vs. nurture” debate comes into question. The scientific literature offers limited documentation on successful athletes and the term "talent", thus leaving the topic unclear to many (Hecimowich., 2004). To fully evaluate the nature/nurture debate, we need to clarify what the terms nature and nurture mean within a sporting context. Nature is somewhat defined as an athlete who is born with genes that give him the ability to excel in a certain sport; on the other hand, education is classified as an individual who has developed elite skills over time through rigorous training. Richard Mulcaster, a British educator, compared nature to nurture as “Nature brings the boy towards, nurture sees him forward” (Mulcaster, 1582). of variability in baseline performance” (Bush & Salmela., 2002). The Independent Newspaper published an article based on the question: Is nature or nurture behind Jamaica's need for speed? In the 100 and 200 meter events in London, eight Jamaicans managed to finish in the top 3. Three won gold. Many Jamaican athletes are believed to genetically inhibit fast-twitch fibers, which allows them to perform at a competent level. It has been stated that Jamaicans are "blessed" with long limbs, narrow hips, and low fat levels, which explains their consistent efforts to finish in the top 3. However, this statement cannot vouch for the entire population; leading us to believe that education must play a role in the development of an elite athlete (Independent Newspaper, 2012) When evaluating metrics related to talent, researchers have offered models that illustrate involvement, 40(4), 271-283.