This is because the birthdate cutoff for different levels of youth hockey leagues in canada is january 1st,so youth hockey players who are born in january and february are slightly older than teammates born later in the year. Amazing success is the outcome of a frequentlyunlikely series of opportunities, lucky breaks, and incidences that combine to form the exact circumstances that permit such accomplishment. Something like 98% of canadian junior players came up through the canadian system 1980pres. According to gladwell, canadian hockey could easily be regarded as a meritocracywealth and family background, after all, do not matter in determining hockey skill. The story of success is the third nonfiction book written by malcolm gladwell and published by little, brown and company on november 18, 2008. Outliers by malcolm gladwell book summary good book. What he is doing here is, trying to find out what differentiate great successes outliers from other successful endeavours. In a chapter of the 2008 nonfiction book outliers, author malcolm gladwell studies the birth dates of successful hockey players, discovering that a disproportionate number were born towards the beginning of the calendar year. Also, sociologists lam and miron 1991 cover the distribution of births in canada by month, over time. Investigators discover that this is likely because the cutoff date to play in the agebased junior leagues is january 1. The story of success 2008, malcolm gladwell speculates that canadian ice hockey players that are born early in the year have an advantage. There is a general, strong belief that canadian hockey leagues are organised as a meritocracy. To support his thesis, he examines the causes of why the majority of canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year, how microsoft. Established in 1993, the western states hockey league wshl is an amateur athletic union aausanctioned, junior ice hockey league.
A young boy has talent as a child, is found by a talent scout, and works hard to rise. The answer is that since youth hockey leagues determine eligibility by calendar year, children born on january 1 play in the same league as those born on december 31 in the. A close look at the rosters of top canadian hockey teams reveals an oddly disproportionate number of players born in the first three months of the year. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of outliers by malcolm gladwell.
The book begins with the observation that a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year. Since canadian youth hockey leagues, much like us teams, determine eligibility by calendar year, children born on january 1 play in the same league as those born on december 31. Gladwells latest book, outliers, is a passionate argument for taking the second version of the story more seriously than we now do. Outliers the introduction and chapters 12 summary and. In this stunning new book, malcolm gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of outliersthe best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful malcolm gladwell hockey players outliers essay. This produces a dynamic where the roster composition of any elite canadian hockey team is roughly 40% players born in januarymarch, 30% born between apriljune, 20% between julyseptember and 10. This is particularly prevalent in canadian hockey because it is hard to practice consistently without being in a formal league with assigned ice time. However, gladwell states that common assumptions about merit and commonplace, selfmademan success stories do not accurately explain how success is really attained.
An analysis of a highly successful canadian hockey team found. In outliers, gladwell examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. Gladwell sets the scene to this chapter by painting a picture of the tigers and the giants competing for victory in the memorial league hockey cup the two best teams in the hockey league chock full of the future stars of league hockey. So if you are born after january 1st, and the closer your birthdate is to january 1st, the more physically and mentally mature youll be by january 1st of the following year relative to your league. Birth date and canadian ice hockey in his book out. This is a central idea to gladwells theory of what produces successful individuals and he begins with the example of outstanding young canadian hockey players. Malcolm gladwell hockey players outliers essay topics.
Analysis of the book outliers by malcolm gladwell cram. The story of success by malcolm gladwell librarything. First example gladwell gives is explaining how some canadian hockey players become better than others. Nov 30, 2008 gladwells latest book, outliers, is a passionate argument for taking the second version of the story more seriously than we now do. In the book outliers by malcolm gladwell, its main purpose is to understand how many ways success can be looked at in the world and especially how it is used when it comes to certain things we make decisions on. The cutoff birth date for many youth hockey leagues. Aug 18, 2017 gladwell sets the scene to this chapter by painting a picture of the tigers and the giants competing for victory in the memorial league hockey cup the two best teams in the hockey league chock full of the future stars of league hockey.
Birth date and canadian ice hockey in his book outliers. To support his thesis, he examines why the majority of canadian ice hockey players are born in the first. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in outliers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. He gives an example of a canadian hockey player who rises to. Gladwell has four new york times bestseller books he has written. The opening chapter uses the accidental birth dates of canadian hockey leagues players to predict successful hockey players favoring players with january birthdays over those with september birthdays. The best players, it is noted, are born in the first three months of the year. In the book outliers by malcolm gladwell, your values are often unconsciously handed down to us generation to generation. Thousands of canadian boys begin to play the sport at the.
Jan 07, 2009 apparently, the elite canadian youth hockey leagues begin at 10 years old and the registration date is january 1st. Canadian youth hockey leagues base a players eligibility on the calendar year, so skaters born on january 1 play with boys with december birthdays. Gladwell has taken an example of canadian hockey league. But in his new book, he seeks to undercut the cult of success. Effects of when you are born of the seventyfive richest people of human history, fourteen were born between 1831 and 1840. Apparently, the elite canadian youth hockey leagues begin at 10 years old and the registration date is january 1st. So if you are born after january 1st, and the closer your birthdate is to january 1st, the more physically and mentally mature youll be by january 1st of the following year relative to your league competitors. To become a computer mogul, a person needed to be born between 1952 and 1958. There is a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players who are born in the first few months of the calendar year. Gladwell explains why the relativeage effect a compounding of some initial advantage over time, explains why a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players were born in the first half of the year popularizing the research of a. The result, gladwell says, is an iron law of canadian hockey. The first chapter in outliers is about how some canadian hockey players born in the first months of the year enjoy advantages that those born later in the year dont have. Should youth sports leagues be organized by age, size, or.
As an example, how would one explain why the best canadian hockey players are most frequently born in the first. In canada the eligibility cutoff for ageclass is jan 1. Hockey fights cancer utah outliers and 5 for the fight. Over a month after reading this book, there are two stories that stand out. Gladwell describes the complex system of amateur hockey leagues that are spread out. No one, neither a man, woman or canadian hockey player is an island.
Malcolm gladwells elegant and wildly popular theoriesabout modern life have turned his name into an adjectivegladwellian. This is because the birthdate cutoff for different levels of youth hockey leagues in canada is january 1st, so youth hockey players who are born in january. Jul 21, 2011 the books major theme is that success is shaped by environment, not genetics. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. In his book outliers, malcolm gladwell explains that a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year. The book begins with the observation that a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players are born in the earlier months of the calendar year. The percentages for any elite group of canadian hockey players in regards to birthdays are.
Gladwell research shows theres an uneven number of elite canadian hockey players. Dec 12, 2018 this is particularly prevalent in canadian hockey because it is hard to practice consistently without being in a formal league with assigned ice time. The power of thinking without thinking, has written another masterful, mindbender called outliers. Gladwell also looks at a phenomenon in canadian junior hockey. The book begins by observing that a disproportionate number of elite canadian hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year. Gladwell highlights how a disproportionate number of players in the elite canadian youth hockey leagues have birthdays in the first three months of the year and lays out how this is related to the january 1 cut off.
In all elite groups of canadian hockey players, about 40 percent are born between january and march. Chapter 1 of malcolm gladwell s outliers opens with a discussion of a canadian hockey game, a game for the memorial cup championships. Dutch psychologist, geert hofstede analyzes different countries on their cultural tendencies. His findings may work for junior hockey, but not the nhl. The reason behind this is that since youth hockey leagues determine eligibility by the calendar year, children born on january 1 play in the same league as those born on december 31 in the. From that point on, there are leagues for every age class, and at each of those levels, the players are sifted and sorted and evaluated, with the most. The story of success by malcolm gladwell part 1, chapter 1, the matthew effect summary and analysis. Gladwell describes the complex system of amateur hockey leagues that are spread out across canada. Gladwell opens the chapter with a seemingly innocuous description of a canadian hockey players rise to the top of the sport in canada.
A boy who turns ten on jan 2 could be playing against someone who doesnt turn ten for 12 more months and at age 10, a 12 month gap in age is a huge difference in physical maturity. To support his thesis, he examines why the majority of canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year, how microsoft co. The reason is that since youth hockey leagues determine eligibility by calendar year, children born on january 1 play in the same league as those born on december 31 in the same year. Gladwell describes then the canadian hockey system. The outlier is mayaugust born canadian hockey players currently in the nhl, who are overrepresented, based on when canadians are born in the year. The first example given in the book, and the one that seems to resonate the most, relates to canadian youth hockey and birthdays. Gladwells explanation for this phenomenon termed the matthew effect relates to the age cutoff date for. The tigers and giants are two canadian junior hockey teams. Nov 04, 2009 why july children dont make the major leagues. Nov 22, 2010 the result, gladwell says, is an iron law of canadian hockey.
The story of success is a nonfiction book written by malcolm gladwell and published by little, brown and company on november 18, 2008. After checking out malcolms gladwells new book, outliers, and his explanation of why canadian hockey players born early in the year have a big advantage, we conducted a little study. Players that are born in the first few months, january, february and march, of the calendar are more likely to be successful than those born in the last month. Why the majority of hockey players in canada are born on the first three months of the year. The wshl was previously sanctioned by usa hockey from 1994 to 2011. Because youth hockey leagues determine eligibility by calendar year, the older kids are bigger and stronger, and as such are favored by coaches. Jul 29, 2009 gladwell explains that, in canada, hockey leagues start when kids are young and the cutoff age for each league is the beginning of january. The story of success is a 2008 nonfiction book by canadian journalist and. The books major theme is that success is shaped by environment, not genetics. What he is doing here is, trying to find out whatmore well, theres no prescriptive component because, thats not the point of the author to provide one. If you are born on january 1, you play hockey with kids born the same year as you, through december 31. Chapter 1 of outliers, the matthew effect, begins with an account of a 2007 memorial cup championship game between the medicine hat tigers and the vancouver giants. This is because the birthdate cutoff for different levels of youth hockey leagues in canada is january 1st,so youth hockey players who are born in january and february are slightly.