A new study has rejected the notion that sport is a great leveller that gives kids from all backgrounds an equal chance to succeed.
Ohio State University research has found that sport success is heavily influenced by race, gender and socioeconomic status, including family wealth and education.
“We often think about sports as level playing fields that reward people who earn their success, but that’s not the whole story,” study co-author Chris Knoester said.
“Success (actually) depends a lot on the advantages young people have when they grow up.”
The study found that high school and university sports sport success was “profoundly shaped” by socioeconomic status and “other factors unrelated to talent.”
The researchers analysed data from a United States national study of high school students in the 10th grade who were followed up again in the 12th grade. Nearly 10,000 students from 800 different schools were studied.
One of the studies was published in the journal Leisure/Loisir. The second study was published recently in the Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education.
While 70 percent of students from high income families played a high school sport, only 43 percent of those from low socio-economic families took part.
Around 27 percent of students from high income families reported being a captain of a sports team. The rate was only eight percent for those from low-income families.
Boys were more likely to play sports in high school than girls and to play persistently, the study found.
It revealed that black athletes felt more comfortable in track and field than majority-white sports. Conversely, white athletes felt comfortable playing all types of sports, and did not believe their race influenced their athletic selections.
Professor Knoester said the findings showed that inequalities already in society made it more difficult for some groups to maximise their athletic talents.
“We can’t say that the only reason people from disadvantaged backgrounds aren’t playing or having athletic success is because they don’t care enough or aren’t good enough or aren’t working hard enough,” he said.
“Our research suggests that sports aren’t always a meritocracy. Some people have built-in advantages outside of their athletic skills that will help them succeed.”
The full report is on the OSU website.
