Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
The relative age effect in Brazilian national basketball teams over time
Matheus Neves Rufino Pereira1, Francisco Zacaron Werneck1, Gabriel Torres da Silva1
1Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Postgraduate Program in Physical Education, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF)/Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Introduction:
In basketball, identifying and developing potential athletes is crucial, and the Relative Age Effect (RAE) plays an important role in this process. However, could this effect interfere in the selection of elite players?
Objective:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the RAE in Brazilian male and female basketball national teams in official competitions and to examine its association with the competition type, age category and collective performance.
Methods:
A total of 1,585 athletes were analyzed, including 703 males and 882 females. The mean age of the male athletes was 20.99 years old (±5.80), and their mean height was 196.72 cm (±9.36), while the female athletes had a mean age of 20.83 years old (±5.80) and a mean height of 179.00 cm (±6.44). The sample consisted of athletes who participated in world and continental competitions between 2002 and 2023, in the U15, U16, U17, U18, U19 and senior categories. The data were collected from the International Basketball Federation's website (https://www.fiba.basketball). Athletes' months of birth were categorized into quartiles and semesters, and the medalists and non-medalists team performance was analyzed, considering world and continental competitions besides youth vs. senior categories. To investigate the RAE across categories, the Chi-Square (χ 2) test for quartiles was applied. To analyze the association of the RAE (semester) with competition type, outcome and category, the Chi-Square (χ 2) test was used as well.
Results:
The findings revealed a significant presence of the RAE (p < 0.001) across all groups analyzed, regardless of gender, competition type, category or team performance. No associations were observed between semester of birth and competition type or team performance for either gender. Regarding category type, a significant association was found between being born in the first semester and participating in youth competitions for males (p = 0.03) and females (p = 0.003).
Conclusion:
The RAE is present at the elite level of Brazilian basketball over time, showing association only with the type of category.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity
This has been verified in many experiments. However, space and time are no longer absolute. Two observers moving relative to one another do not agree on the length of objects or the passage of time. The mechanics of objects based on Newton's laws of...
01:26National Nursing Organizations I
01:30National Nursing Organizations II
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...