At the point where competition is absolutely fair, if we are arguing from this angle, it seems like everyone would tie. "Everyone must start from the same genetic starting point." So I guess it would come down to training and practice and how much you do both? But sorry, guy, success isn't just a factor of how hard you work. I'm pretty sure we all know this. You can slave away and not succeed. J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series was as much a freak success as a result of her work and talent. Does being raised in a household that values literacy and writing give you an unfair advantage in writing over those who don't? I think when it comes to the point where you can't change the factors that make you who you are, it doesn't come down to "fair" or "unfair." I can't help my basic physiology. I can strive to improve it, both naturally (diet, exercise, etc) and non-naturally (doping, replacement limbs, etc). It would be at least as unfair to exclude athletes from sports for factors that they can't help as Gladwell tries to argue that it may be unfair to allow them to participate. This all being said, I'm not a Gladwell fan.
It annoys me when friends who really love their sports start talking about "fairness" and "level playing fields." I don't watch sports to see shit that a normal person can do. I watch sports to see things most people cannot do. I would also gladly watch superhuman feats as well. If everyone is so concerned about being fair, why not just go with the flow and make it mandatory for people to dope? The 20th century to me, seemed to be about humanity figuring out its limits. In these early days of the 21st century, it really seems like the century will be about transcending those limits and figuring out what it means to be human in the face of the technologically altered mental and physical states that may occur as the century wears on.
Well said, I have a feeling that theadvancedapes would agree with your assessment of the 21st century. As I've mentioned countless times here, I am now a tennis player. Between games I drink a lot of water. If there were such a thing as a pill that I could put in that water that enhanced my electrolytes (I sweat A LOT) I would use it. What's that you say? Such a thing already exists! -Is that a performance enhancing drug? Is water? Lot's of gray in these things. I also agree that the fun in watching professional sports is to see people performing at the peak of that profession. It's the same reason to go see a concert pianist etc. There's mastery and artistry at work there.