The X Factor: A Quest for Excellence

The X Factor describes the elements of an athletes character and fitness; that which is often hard to explain but is evident to coaches, and athletes, sports journalists, and general managers.

George Plimpton has spent his career as writer, editor, and sports dilettante asking why--as in, Why not play quarterback for the Detroit Lions? Here the question is, Why are some people so successful? Is there a common thread that links the great politicians, the great athletes, and the visionary business leaders? Plimpton dubs it the X factor and sets about trying to find it. The project started with George Bush, the subject of a profile Plimpton wrote for Sports Illustrated. When the then-president prevailed in a game of horseshoes, Plimpton concluded that Bush had the X factor; his plan was to find out what X was, get some himself, and then challenge Bush to a rematch. Hot on the trail, Plimpton talked with several Vince Lombardi^-era Green Bay Packers; with Red Auerbach, the mastermind of the Boston Celtics; and with Henry Kravis, the financial mogul who engineered the $25 billion takeover of R. J. Reynolds. Ultimately, Plimpton is never really able to identify the X factor, only to note that it's different for people in different situations. And the rematch with Bush? A good reviewer never reveals the ending, but for Plimpton and for the reader, this journey in search of X, like most journeys, proves more valuable for the process than the product. A light but informative look at an intriguing topic Wes Lukowsky