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enny_el t1_iyp5ubm wrote

Reply to comment by marriedacarrot 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

I just find it hard to believe that that applies universally across countries and cultures and hemispheres and school systems and everything. But maybe I just don't want to believe it because it means I already screwed everything up for my September-born kid! Doomed from birth, poor thing!

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marriedacarrot t1_iyp8q6g wrote

Which month is the "right" month definitely changes by culture, but the premise that being the oldest in your childhood cohort confers an early advantage seems to hold across multiple countries.

If it makes you feel any better, the magnitude of the advantage conferred isn't huge. I'm a September baby, was almost always the youngest in my class, and (at the risk of bragging) I'm objectively successful. I was never great at sports, but being several inches below average is probably the culprit. :)

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