ABSTRACT
A. S. Rabelo discovered that young Brazilian soccer players, usually from lower socio-economic classes, received only minimal coaching until they reached the professional ranks as juniors. In contrast, all Brazilian gymnasts received specialized coaching from the beginning of their careers, but during their leisure time did other activities apart from gymnastics. B. S. Bloom was the first to outline the roles of parents in the development of expert athletes simply by being supportive of their achievement activities and permitting them to choose between practicing formally, or to just continue playing. Social status and parenting in sport are intimately linked. For example, it was shown earlier that soccer players from poor families from the interior of Brazil received almost no social or financial support from their parents compared to the middle and upper middle class athletes in private clubs, in gymnastics, swimming and tennis.
