Effect of relative age and sports trajectory: an analysis of young athletes nominated to the Golden Boy award

Abstract

Introduction: In sport it is known that the date of birth can directly influence the process of identification and sports development of children and adolescents, such a phenomenon is identified as the Effect of Relative Age (EIR). Objective: To identify the effect of relative age (EIR) and the sporting trajectory of young athletes nominated for the Golden Boy award. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 102 athletes who were nominated for the award, between the years 2003 and 2013. The sample included The top 10 of each year were selected. The time frame of the survey took place with the intention of catching the nominees until the year 2013, so that it was possible to analyze the career sequence in later years. The following information about the players nominated for the prize was collected: date of birth and number of calls for national teams until 2019. Data collection was carried out directly on the website of the Jornal Italiano Tuttosport (www.tuttosport.com/), creator of the award. The general information of the players was obtained on the website O Gol (www.ogol.com.br). The normality of the data was tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The chi-square test (χ2) was performed to compare the expected and observed distribution in the quartiles and semesters of birth of the athletes. Results: A significant difference was observed, with a higher frequency of athletes in the first quartiles (1,2). Regarding the trajectory of the athletes, it was observed that 66.7% of the players played at least 20 games for their respective teams, and 35.5% did not reach the minimum value established in this study. Conclusion: The Relative Age Effect was found among young players nominated for the Golden Boy award.