TED Talks Daily

Something in the Water: Where Do Great Athletes Come From? | Good Sport

Feb 10, 2023

Bomani Jones, a popular sports journalist known for his insightful takes on sports and culture, joins the discussion on the origins of remarkable athletes. They explore unique talent 'hotbeds' like Kinston, North Carolina, and discuss how demographics shape opportunities and success in sports. The conversation humorously challenges racial stereotypes and stresses the difference between mere talent and true greatness. They also highlight the crucial role of supportive environments in nurturing champions, with inspiring examples from community coaching efforts.

35:09

Creator website

Episode guests

Bomani Jones

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Rethinking Race and Representation in Football

2min

Talent, Opportunity, and Athletic Success

8min

The Surprising Athletic Pipeline of Kinston, North Carolina

2min

Nurturing Champions: The Path of Athletes

17min

Exploring the Intersection of Talent and Opportunity in Sports

4min

Today on TED Talks Daily we’re excited to introduce TED’s newest podcast, Good Sport, hosted by veteran sports producer Jody Avirgan. What can sports teach us about life – and each other? Good Sport brings you invigorating stories from on and off the field to argue that sports are as powerful and compelling a lens as any to understand the world – from what happens when you age out of a sport, to how we do or don't nurture talent, to analyzing how sports arguments have become the mode for all arguments. Good Sport launched on February 8th and you can find it anywhere you’re listening to this. TED Audio Collective+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can hear the whole season early and ad-free.

"Muck City," Florida. Kinston, North Carolina. The courts of New York City in the 80s and 90s. These places share one unique trait: they found a way to produce a particular kind of great athlete, over and over. Is there something in the water – or is it something else? In our first episode, Jody talks to sports journalist Bomani Jones and Olympic table tennis coach Rajul Sheth about talent "hotbeds," the role opportunity and access play in crafting success, and the important distinction between having talent and achieving greatness.

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