The DNA Difference

Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN; noon ESPNEWS)
ESPN The Magazine (Shaun Assael's companion piece in current “The Body” Issue”)

Just when it seemed as if professional athletes have exhausted every way possible to get a performance edge, the next big breakthrough is about to hit sports. Thanks to advances in DNA sequencing, researchers can now link individual genes to specific aspects of athleticism. As a result, players can utilize genetic testing to help predict their risk of certain injuries and tailor workouts to beat their genetic odds. That has Kansas City Chiefs guard Andy Alleman spending extra time doing strengthening and stretching exercises after learning he has the gene that makes it more likely he'll suffer an Achilles tendon injury.

In conjunction with "The Body Issue" of ESPN The Magazine, senior writer Shaun Assael goes Outside the Lines to report on personalized genetic training, from a scientist at Duke University at the forefront of genetics research to a bioethicist who questions if too much knowledge can be harmful in the athletic arena.

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Cheating Is So 1999

ESPN The Magazine (piece in the current “The Body” Issue”)
Outside the Lines (covers the topic Sunday, 9 a.m., ESPN; noon ESPNEWS)

On the dawn of personalized genetic training, ESPN The Magazine convinced 100 current and former NFL linemen to donate their DNA to a groundbreaking study that shows how it will work. With the help of geneticists at Duke and Stanford Universities, and the testing company 23 and Me, senior writer Shaun Assael describes how he was able to give the players some surprising information about themselves.
 

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Courage Under Fire

Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m., ESPN; noon ESPNEWS
ESPN Radio (The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap, Friday, 10 p.m.)

Mississippi high school football player Kaleb Eulls made national headlines September 1 for a play he made not on the field, but on a school bus. Eulls, a Yazoo County High School senior, has his sights set on playing at Mississippi State. But he risked it all, tackling and disarming a 14-year old girl who was threatening students on the bus with a semi automatic handgun. A surveillance camera above the bus driver's rearview mirror captured the scene as passengers on that bus, including three of Eulls' sisters, scrambled for safety. Rachel Nichols traveled to Mississippi to speak with Eulls, his family, and the local sheriff about Eulls’ heroics, and the response he’s received since news of his selfless act spread.

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Mexican Swimming Scandal

ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m.)
Reportajes Especiales piece on ESPNDeportes.com.

In 2004, the Mexican Swimming Federation was shaken by a scandal -- accusations of sexual extortion involving a minor. At the core of the incident were diver Laura Sanchez and her coach Francisco Rueda. In an exclusive interview, they break their silence after five years of dodging the media, revealing their version of the events.
 

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