In my view admissions to elite universities is not fair because the standards are not uniform. Being a child of a high ranking politician is a rather substantial hook. Being an athlete or a URM is a hook as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a more substantial hook in that I think the politicians would have the ear of the people who can influence decisions within the university. The athlete or URM would need to get the attention of the people who make the admission decisions. Their status on the application is what would get them noticed. A higher bar to scale.
I’ve never been one whose desire it was to be influential (beyond my own family) so I guess I really don’t care. The number of congressmen, senators, judges and Presidents who will have children entering college in any given year won’t be substantial and I’m sure there is a hierarchy even among them.