David Epstein

David Epstein is an investigative reporter, author, and senior writer for Sports Illustrated.  He is one of the brightest young minds in investigative sports reporting with a focus on the developing scientific theories centered on sports.  Epstein also covers environmental and energy topics.  As a long time contributor to Sports Illustrated Epstein has broken major sports stories and written some of the most intriguing pieces in the publication.  Celebrity Speaker David is also a graduate from Columbia University with degrees in environmental science and journalism.

Epstein has broken some of the largest stories in sports over the last couple of decades.  His most notable story in recent years came when he released that New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for steroids back in 2003.  At the time Rodriguez had been considered one of the greatest baseball players of all-time.  David is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene.  The Sports Gene is a book that examines what the difference is between a professional and amateur athlete.  It investigates the “10,000 hour rule,” which states that if an athlete practices their skills for 10,000 hours then they will become an expert on that craft.  Epstein concludes, after extensive research, that the range to master a skill is much wider and could take more or less than 10,000 hours.  Epstein also concludes that some athletes are just genetically more able to perform well at certain sports.

David Epstein has also recently delivered a Ted Talk on the scientific topic of athletes and genetics.  His talk focuses on the overall improvement of athletes in today’s current era in terms of strength, size, and speed. He also has explained that technological improvements have yielded greater results from athletes, as well as a greater psychological push from those who are the most successful.  Epstein has won numerous awards for his writing including the Society of Professional Journalists prize for science reporting for a story on the genetics of athletic performance in 2010.