Document Type
Article
Version
Final Published Version
Publication Title
International Review for The Sociology Of Sport
Volume
55
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
This paper analyzes the patterns of retention in SportsClasses of promising young athletes in Denmark. Since 2005, SportsClasses have provided extra training for potential elite athletes in Grades 7-9 in designated Danish public schools. They were introduced after the Danish Ministry of Culture lowered the age of recruitment for athletes from 15 to 12 in response to increased competition in the world of elite sports. The SportsClasses attempt to balance collaboration between two different organizations: Danish public schools and sports clubs. Using a survey of the student population in 2013 and a follow-up sample in 2015, we explore the respondents’ social backgrounds and experiences in order to understand their likelihood of retention during the program and their career aspirations. Focusing on socioeconomic status, the role of having parents in elite sports, gender, and type of sport, we study what key experiences and relationships lead students to abandon or sustain their interest in careers related to sports and how this differs for boys and girls. By applying Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and types of capital, we conclude that the program produces elements of both reproduction and opportunity but that the patterns strongly favor the retention of boys compared to girls.
Citation
Skrubbeltrang, Lotte Stausgaard, David Karen, Jens Christian Nielsen, and Jesper Stilling Olesen. 2020. "Reproduction and opportunity: A study of dual career, aspirations and elite sports in Danish SportsClasses" International Review for The Sociology Of Sport 55.1: 38-59.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690218789037