* Parents use DNA test to choose sports for kids

BOULDER, Colo. — When Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost?

In this era of genetic testing, DNA is being analyzed to determine predispositions to disease, but experts raise serious questions about marketing it as a first step in finding a child’s sports niche, which some parents consider the road to a college scholarship or a career as a professional athlete.

I think this is absolutely ridiculous. Getting a DNA test for your child to see what sport they will do well in? Sports are supposed to be fun, the kid should get to choose. I shudder to think what's next. Genetic testing for job placement?

Link

The idea that we can do this: cool.
The idea that we can do this successfully: very cool.
The idea that parents should do this and rely on it: BAD.

Hasn't anyone ever told them not to count your chickens before they hatch? You can't expect someone's DNA to expose what they will do, and want to do in their life (including sports). Many kids like myself don't like 'sports' as we accept them, and instead choose motorcycle racing. I wonder if that's on their list of things to check for?

This is just one step in the wrong direction towards acceptance of genetic manipulation to have yourself a super-strong, super-athletic, super-genetically altered baby. Which in my mind is just as unethical as cloning under the same guidelines.

reply to post by blowfishdl


The idea that we can do this: cool.
The idea that we can do this successfully: very cool.
The idea that parents should do this and rely on it: BAD.

Completely agree with you there. Kids should be allowed to choose what they want to do or fun.

wow let your children find the joy and adventrousness in exploring different activites. it will help then learn to take chances. and have a better life

I like science, hence becoming a biochemist, but this is sad. Many of us knew we were heading there with The Human Genome Experiment and with disease engineering/gene therapy. I'm all for mapping and disease prevention, but trait augmentation is perverse. If science doesn't stop this now, the discrimination lawsuits will later.

[edit on 17-2-2009 by saint4God]

Big deal.

I don't really like the idea of parents choosing what sport their kids are gonna play, but isn't this really just a glorified way of doing what we already do? Growing up I had plenty of friends who were forced into different sports they didn't particularly like by their parents. I tried a little of everything when I was much younger, but fell into basketball because of my height advantage. That's certainly a genetic factor.

And for the people discussing gene augmentation, there's no "genetic manipulation" going on here. They're attempting to identify which sports kids will be good at by observing DNA. If you ask me, its probably worthless. I think that a child's lifestyle and overall fitness will be bigger factors in their abilities as athletes than their genes.

I didn't mean to imply the article mentions trait augmentation, just pointing out where the line of perversity lies. It is however the 'next logical step' whereas if you're choosing a sport for your unborn child, how about choosing an unborn child for your sport? It isn't really that big of a leap really. We have a enough difficulty with unplanned children being born, whereas here we're having a form of hyper-planning that can be psychologically damaging to families. "What do you mean you don't like track?! The doctor says you'll be great at it!"