EXTRA: Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete (Update)

There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics come to a close, we revisit a 2018 episode in which top athletes from a variety of sports tell us how they made it, and what they sacrificed.   SOURCES: Lance Armstrong , former professional cyclist. David Canton , director of African American studies and professor of history at the University of Florida. David Epstein , science journalist and author. Domonique Foxworth , former professional football player. Justin Humphries , former professional baseball player. Andre Ingram , professional basketball player. Shawn Johnson , former professional gymnast and Olympian. Steve Levitt , professor of economics at the University of Chicago. Simone Manuel , professional swimmer and Olympian. Brandon McCarthy , former professional baseball player. Mike McGlinchey , offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos. Daryl Morey , president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers. Lauren Murphy , professional mixed martial artist. Kim Ng , advisor with Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, former general manager of the Miami Marlins. JJ Redick , head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Mikaela Shiffrin , professional alpine ski racer and Olympian. Mark Teixeira , former professional baseball player. Sudhir Venkatesh , professor of sociology at Columbia University. Kerri Walsh-Jennings , professional beach volleyball player and Olympian.   RESOURCES: " Compromising Talent: Issues in Identifying and Selecting Talent in Sport ," by Joseph Baker, Jörg Schorer, and Nick Wattie ( Quest, 2017). " Practice and Play in the Development of German Top-Level Professional Football Players ," by Manuel Hornig, Friedhelm Aust, and Arne Güllich ( European Journal of Sport Science, 2016). The Sports Gene , by David Epstein (2013). " The Effect of Deliberate Play on Tactical Performance in Basketball ," by Pablo Greco, Daniel Memmert, and Juan Carlos Pérez Morales ( Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2010).   EXTRAS: " The Hidden Side of Sports ," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018). “ How to Become Great at Just About Anything ” Freakonomics Radio (2016). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.