The working classes and sporting success

Based on a cohort of young women recognized as high-level athletes, this article aims to analyze how their belonging to different segments of the working classes shapes their sporting trajectories. Do stable families at the “top” of the working-class social space produce more champions than the most disadvantaged ones? Within the working classes, do female elite athletes stand out in terms of the volume and prestige of their productions? According to what principles? Based on a survey of 768 female athletes officially recognized as “high level” athletes in France’s Pays de la Loire region, this article offers an original perspective on the elite sporting space. On the one hand, this space maintains and reproduces the social order. On the other hand, it ultimately proves highly permeable to the working classes and thus provides young women with “unexpected” benefits. These benefits are not limited to sport and may also translate into unexpected academic success.