**7. Sports disciplines performed regularly by German school students**

This part of the study focused on the most popular sports disciplines regularly performed by German school students in their free time. **Table 16** shows a list of the ten most popular types of sports performed by boys from large cities and small towns. As expected, the results of the research confirm the greatest popularity of football and cycling among boys regardless of their environment. Swimming and running are also common in both environments. Other popular sports also include skiing and snowboarding, individual and team sports as well as bodybuilding.

The results of ROC statistical analysis, presented in **Table 17**, refer to the comparison of preferences for regularly performed sports by boys from large cities and small towns. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that the male youth from both backgrounds exhibit similar interests in sports (*p* > 0.05). However, it is important to note that in the case of boys from large cities, participation in basketball is more than two times greater (OR = 2.17) and 1.6 times greater in the case of tennis (OR = 1.61).


#### **Table 16.**

*Sports regularly practiced by German male school students in their free time (in percentages).*


#### **Table 17.**

*Sports regularly practiced by German male school students in their free time (large town: n = 91; small town: n = 93).*

#### *Selected Aspects of Sports: Recreational Activity of German School Students DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97741*

The most popular sport practiced by all the girls studied is cycling (**Table 18**). Swimming and horse riding were also at the top of the ranking, which among the surveyed boys turned out to be completely unpopular. It is worth emphasizing, as in the case of boys, the similar popularity of skiing. Girls generally do not prefer sports activities that require high endurance, strength or fierce competition. This is reflected in the results of research regarding their favorite sports, which include typical female forms of activity such as aerobics and dancing. Team sports such as volleyball, handball or basketball are of smaller importance for girls from small towns.

The results of ROC statistical analysis (**Table 19**) refer to the comparison of preferences related to the regular practice of sports by girls from large cities and small cities. On their basis, it can be stated that girls from both backgrounds exhibit similar interests in sports disciplines. The exception is running, which is chosen twice more often by girls from large cities (OR = 2.01). Significant differences were also noted within this category (*p* = 0.02561). In addition, girls from large cities take part in handball more than 2 ½ times more often than the studied girls from small towns (OR = 2.6).


#### **Table 18.**

*Sports regularly practiced by German female school students in their free time (in percentages).*


#### **Table 19.**

*Sports regularly practiced by German female school students in their free time (large city: n = 97; small town: n = 106).*

Referring to the results of regularly performed sports by boys and girls (**Tables 17** and **19**), it should be noted that the following disciplines commonly practiced are:


ROC statistical analysis showed that for most sports, both boys and girls report similar preferences because no statistically significant differences were found with regard to the gender of the respondents. The exception is swimming, which is much more preferred by the studied girls (*p* = 0.00521; OR = 1.25) and basketball, which is statistically chosen over 5 ½ times more frequently by boys than girls (OR = 5.52). However, no statistically significant differences were noted in this category (*p* = 0.05876).
