Recent comments in /f/dataisbeautiful

Josquius t1_iyo8u3k wrote

Reply to comment by Boris_Ignatievich in [OC] Birth months of FIFA World Cup players. The top three are January, February and March, possibly due to the "Relative age effect" by desfirsit

Yes. Big historic issue in England that your chances of being scouted are much higher if you're born in the second half of the year so are the biggest in your age group.

These days scouts actively seek to look beyond this. Trying to look at fundamental ability rather than heavily physique related performance.

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Josquius t1_iyo8h9a wrote

Reply to [OC] Birth months of FIFA World Cup players. The top three are January, February and March, possibly due to the "Relative age effect" by desfirsit

This is a big known issue in football. They've been working to remedy it in England this century as previously the overwhelming majority of players in the premiership were born in the second half the year, that meaning they were oldest in their school year.

I know several countries have the normal year for their school year cut offs which could be shown here.

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FITnLIT7 t1_iyo7lm3 wrote

Reply to comment by ranseaside in [OC] Birth months of FIFA World Cup players. The top three are January, February and March, possibly due to the "Relative age effect" by desfirsit

Glad that worked out for you, being a parent is a wonderful thing. (My first is 7 months old). Genetics will always play a major part but that I can’t control (not some gene editing nut job) but if you have genetics as a December baby to outgrow and outperform everyone else your age, just imagine that same kid as a January baby. It’s really just a preference thing and it’s a small thing I can control to help tip the odds in my child’s favour in this difficult world.

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desfirsit OP t1_iyo7dtj wrote

Reply to comment by FartingBob in [OC] Birth months of FIFA World Cup players. The top three are January, February and March, possibly due to the "Relative age effect" by desfirsit

Well we start the new school year in august, but the cut-off is still January! Everybody that is born a specific calendar year starts school the same time in August. If you are born December 31 the year before you start in August a year earlier.

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timbasile t1_iyo7dr9 wrote

Reply to comment by SolemnLoon in [OC] Birth months of FIFA World Cup players. The top three are January, February and March, possibly due to the "Relative age effect" by desfirsit

BMX just uses your current age to set cohorts. If you're 8 and it's your birthday later this week, you race the 8 year olds since you're still 8.

Next week, you'll be 9, so then you'll race against the other 9 year olds.

There's still an effect - since at least here in Canada the sport shuts down for the winter, so people born late fall would spend the most race days in the cohort as an older athlete, but I'd imagine it's muted vs other sports using a calendar approach.

Though with an individual sport like BMX, it's easier to do this since it doesn't have the same team forming process . You just show up at races and race whoever happens to also show up.

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