Involvement in physical and sports activities: what characteristics lead athletes to be selected for basketball teams in Brazil?

This study investigated the relations between athletes’ personal engagement and selection for state and national basketball teams, specifically motivation, interest and engagement in physical and sports activities in the school environment and in other modalities. A mixed method study with explanatory sequential design and pragmatic orientation was conducted with 141 male and female basketball players aged 18 and 19 years. Data were collected using the Instrument for Evaluation of Sports Training in Basketball (IAFEB). Differences between the age groups were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis’s test in the SPSS Statistics software. In the qualitative phase, in-depth retrospective interviews were conducted with 24 athletes using a semi-structured script. Data management and thematic organization during analysis used the NVivo software package. Results showed that most athletes started practicing basketball at 11 years old, but only 10% were selected for the state team and 5% to the national team. Athletes who did not participate in Physical Education classes were less likely to be selected for the state team. Likewise, athletes who played basketball with an interest in training from 11 to 14 years old were less likely to be called up for the state (83%) and national (81%) teams.