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From polo fields to MMA cages, the sports we play often mirror the class structures we live in. This video explores how different sports—like polo, tennis, MMA, and football—reflect economic privilege, cultural access, and social mobility. Why is polo a pastime of the ultra-wealthy while MMA is a ladder out of poverty for many fighters? How did tennis become a symbol of upper-middle aspiration, and football a proving ground for working-class glory? We dig into the origins, costs, and cultural weight behind these sports to uncover what they really reveal about society’s class lines.
By Nicholas Pardini5
77 ratings
From polo fields to MMA cages, the sports we play often mirror the class structures we live in. This video explores how different sports—like polo, tennis, MMA, and football—reflect economic privilege, cultural access, and social mobility. Why is polo a pastime of the ultra-wealthy while MMA is a ladder out of poverty for many fighters? How did tennis become a symbol of upper-middle aspiration, and football a proving ground for working-class glory? We dig into the origins, costs, and cultural weight behind these sports to uncover what they really reveal about society’s class lines.

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