From sport to the desire for elsewhere: The example of young athletes from disadvantaged Moroccan neighborhoods

In Morocco, many youth from working-class backgrounds envision emigration as a key step toward personal and professional success. However, the underlying dynamics of these aspirations remain underexplored in the sporting field. This article explores the emigration desires of 50 Moroccan athletes aged 14 to 20, including 37 boys and 13 girls, along with 27 family members (parents and siblings). The study aims to understand how early socialization processes influence young athletes’ ambitions to emigrate, examine how neoliberal values intersect with local social structures to shape these ambitions, and explore the role of family migration histories in reinforcing or challenging these desires. Using a Bourdieusian and Foucauldian framework, the study analyzes semistructured interviews to trace how internalized beliefs, aspirations, and systemic inequalities interact. Thematic analysis reveals that neoliberal ideologies, particularly the valorization of self-entrepreneurship, play a significant role in shaping migration desires; perceived marginalization leads youth to view emigration as their only viable path to success, and families act as both motivators and critics of these desires. By highlighting these factors, the study offers a broader understanding of sports-related migration aspirations and contributes to expanding current literature beyond single-sport and male-centered analyses.