Have you ever wondered if athletes are born or made. In my opinion they are born and made. Some people think athletes are born and not made. Everyone is born with special gifts like being flexible or being tall. According to (the odyssey online) it states that there might be a performance gene that makes you naturally good at a certain sport like football or soccer. But if you never try to play the sport you would never get better at it so you probably won 't be considered an athlete. CBS states “61 percent of Americans think that athletes are made and the rest think that they are born. Fourteen percent think that they are born and made. It also says when you are younger you are probably going to think that they are made because younger kids usually get told practice makes perfect. Also more guys think that they are born with a certain gene that tells you that you are good at a certain sport.” Other people think that they are made because you have to work hard to be good at that sport. Even if there is a performance gene you still have to practice or you won 't be very good and you won 't improve. According to (the odyssey online) it states “an athlete should possess the will and determination to succeed in whatever pursuit he or she undertakes, as well as leadership skills and the ability to look at others on the team for guidance. Elite athletes are not prone to thinking they know it all and are most certain to take advantage of learning what will make them better