pics

19395 readers

1 users here now

Rules:

1.. Please mark original photos with [OC] in the title if you're the photographer

2..Pictures containing a politician from any country or planet are prohibited, this is a community voted on rule.

3.. Image must be a photograph, no AI or digital art.

4.. No NSFW/Cosplay/Spam/Trolling images.

5.. Be civil. No racism or bigotry.

Photo of the Week Rule(s):

1.. On Fridays, the most upvoted original, marked [OC], photo posted between Friday and Thursday will be the next week's banner and featured photo.

2.. The weekly photos will be saved for an end of the year run off.

Weeks 2023

Instance-wide rules always apply. https://mastodon.world/about

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

165

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif shakes hands with her opponent who called her a demon yesterday (files.catbox.moe)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Background

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Do not show this to a biologist unless you want to get lectured for a bit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I'm not sure if the meme conveys my point precisely. I'm not saying that the Olympics are a genetic superman breeding program.

I'm saying that if you put a call out across the globe for the most gifted competitors for decades, you're going to be getting people who are already deeply passionate about their events, but if you presume that level of competitive spirit to begin with, then you're going to start seeing people who are also genetically advantaged emerge as top competitors.

Michael Phelps is already an incredibly passionate swimmer, but then again so is everyone in the pool with him. He's got his super long arms that, if he weren't competitive, wouldn't be worth a damn, but combined with his training and commitment help give him an edge.

I bet if you did a little digging you'd see all sorts of genetic quirks among top level Olympians. Weight lifters with surprisingly dense muscle fiber, skaters and gymnasts with extra-robust inner ears, target shooters with extraordinary eyesight. It's not meant to take away from their talent or the work they've done, but it's not any more surprising than seeing extraordinarily tall players in the NBA, or extraordinarily stocky NFL linebackers.