The Meritocracy of Sports as it Pertains to the Division I Collegiate Recruitment Process

Abstract

This thesis examines how the theory of meritocracy aligns with present day athletics from youth sports to collegiate athletics. The theory of a meritocracy is broken down in how it relates specifically to sports and the college recruiting process. I completed fieldwork comparing a public high school and private high school’s girl’s basketball team, and conducted interviews with Varsity student athletes at Princeton University. I was able to determine how much of success in sports is a result of innate athletic talent in comparison to a combination of access and innate talent with success being defined as recruitment to a Division I athletic program. This thesis argues that socioeconomic status plays a role in an athlete’s athletic success and access to playing at the collegiate level, but an athlete’s hard work and dedication to their sport is still a necessary key to success.