Stephens-Davidowitz cites two main reasons this happens. The first is a basic overturning of the tired “poor players are hungrier” idea. Family wealth is often associated with both IQ and scholastic achievement, and that’s believed to be due in part to richer kids getting a leg up in “noncognitive skills like persistence, self-regulation and trust,” and their ability to maximize their talent productively.
Perhaps more important, though, is that less well-off kids are actually, physically hungrier. Proper eating is vital to a child growing as tall as his or her genetics will allow—around 20-40 percent of the difference in height between people can be attributed to environmental factors, with nutrition being most important—and height is the most precious trait in the NBA. By Stephens-Davodowitz’s estimation, every inch a player grows basically doubles his chances of making the NBA. Further context makes that even more striking. By Sports Illustrated’s count, also using data from the CDC, the number of 7-foot men aged 20-40 in the NBA represents about 17 percent of all such men in the country. Seventeen percent! If you’re seven feet tall, you have a better than one in six chance to make it in the league, and you have a better chance of growing that tall if you’re from a well-off, stable family.
You should check out the rest of the piece at the Times. There is, in particular, a lot more context about how height discrepancies affect international players. (Poorer countries are shorter, but growing.) There’s room to dig further here in the future, as well. Does the wealth gap persist from backcourt players to bigs, whose height is more important? Does the idea that low-income kids with limited noncognitive skills (self-control, persistence, etc.) check out with data like suspensions or technical fouls or other types of outbursts? Or high draft picks flaming out? It’s a fascinating topic, and one we’re going to (hopefully) be asking Seth about in the next few days.
Article Appeared @http://regressing.deadspin.com/surprise-being-poor-makes-it-much-harder-to-get-to-the-1458222436/@barryap