Sport persistence can be considered as the pinnacle of sports performance and commitment. It incorporates personality traits such as resilience, adaptive coping, and positive personality characteristics. Thus, athletes persist in sports activities and are qualitatively committed to them (Kovács K. E., 2021). This behavior and effectiveness are encompassed by sport persistence, which is not widespread in international practice, as research typically focuses on sports habits, motivation, and commitment. Furthermore, existing research often views sport persistence as a binary variable, meaning that an athlete is considered persistent if they are still engaged in sports at the time of the study and have not dropped out. However it is essential to capture persistence more accurately by creating a complex sport persistence indicator (Kovács K. E. & Csukonyi, 2024).

Motivation is an important background factor in the pursuit of a sporting activity. The reasons for engaging in a particular activity can be many and varied. Motivation can be classified into two broad categories, known as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2000). In the case of intrinsic motivation, the athlete plays sport for the sake of the activity itself, i.e., the activity itself acts as a rewarding force for him. This is the strongest and most persistent behavior, and the performance of the action itself acts as a positive reinforcer. Intrinsically motivated individuals formulate goals regarding competence, self-determination, excellence, and success. In the case of extrinsic motivation, however, the activity is not intrinsic but is only the result of some external factor. Its source can be praise or discipline, reward or punishment (more challenging training, withdrawal of previous reward). It is typically a short-term and less effective type of motivation, as the removal of the external drive can significantly decrease the athlete’s performance (Clancy et al., 2016). The impact of external reinforcement on athletes is twofold. Rewards can increase arousal for the player. These factors can all have the opposite effect to that expected. Therefore, the player’s personality, activity level, and environment should always be considered. It is advisable to base rewards primarily on the game and the pleasure of playing, as well as the interest and need to win (Harwood et al., 2008).

Several factors influence sport participation. Gender differences in sports participation are shaped by biological, social, and cultural factors, with men generally having higher muscle mass and testosterone levels, impacting strength and speed (e.g. Hunter et al., 2023). Men tend to be motivated by competition and performance, while women are more influenced by social factors like team spirit and cooperation (e.g. Hepler, 2016). These differences are also shaped by traditional gender roles and media portrayals, making sports motivation a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences (e.g. Anderson & Dixon, 2009). Sports participation varies across education levels due to factors such as age, academic load, and available infrastructure (Wiium & Säfvenbom, 2019). In primary education, sports are often integrated into the curriculum, with students participating enthusiastically in physical activities that promote development and social skills (Demetriou et al., 2018). In secondary education, interest in sports fluctuates, with daily physical education in some countries like Hungary, while academic demands limit participation for some students (Teuber et al., 2024). In higher education, although sports facilities are available, students often engage less due to academic pressures, although physical activity is encouraged for its positive effects on mental health and academic performance (K. Kovács, 2022).

The research was carried out between 2023 October and 2024 February. We used semi-structured interview techniques to conduct qualitative research with high school and university athletes. During recruitment, we contacted sports clubs and sports schools, where coaches and institution leaders were asked to support our research by letting the interviews carrying out in their institutions. Beside this official type of recruitment, online recruitment was also revealed to reach out to students studying at sports schools and university student-athletes. Overall, the mean age of the sample is 18.9 years (SD=3.4), more specifically, 22 years in the tertiary sub-sample (SD=1.9) and 17.15 in the secondary sub-sample (SD=2.8). The interview schedule included four blocks, including sociodemographic background, sport-specific questions, competitive athletes, and sport persistence issues along the levels of the ecological model which block could be divided into five sub-sections. During data collection, theoretical sampling was applied. The expert criteria for determining the broader range of potential interviewees were as follows: 1. Engagement in regular (at least three times a week) sports activities (any individual or team sport was suitable). 2. Being engaged in secondary or higher education studies. 3. Aged between 14 and 25 years. We analyzed the data using grounded theory (GT), an inductive and iterative method. With the help of grounded theory (Glaser, 1994), we aimed to distance ourselves from our knowledge of the subject, continuously formulating theoretical explanations by progressively abstracting from the data obtained from the interview analyses. The semi-structured interview questions served only as a starting point, allowing unrestricted associative reflection to discuss issues relevant to the interviewees and the topic. At the same time, we applied deductive category analysis to structure the analysis. We followed a qualitative, category-driven text interpretation, highlighting the possibilities of feedback and intersubjective testing. We used ATLAS.ti software for content analysis. Beyond content analysis, we examined the differences in the distribution of va-rious sport motivational components and micro-, meso-, and macro-system factors influencing sport persistence based on gender, type of sport, level of sports partici-pation, and study level using IBM SPSS 22.0 statistical software. Due to the nature of the data (categorical variables), cross-tabulation analyses, and chi-square and Fisher tests were carried out. Statistical significance was considered as p < 0.05 (two-tailed).

Based on the content analysis, we established two significant groups for the individual components behind sport persistence: external and internal motivational components. The internal motivation factors included health maintenance, habit, becoming an elite athlete, self-development, self-actualization, relaxation, and love of sports. Respondents highlighted various physical and mental benefits, including better well-being and building social relationships. As external motivational factors, we identified six categories. Family motivation refers to the participants’ sports activities primarily initiated by family traditions. The coach also emerged as an external motivational factor. They mentioned their coach’s excellence, and the coach’s encouragement, support. Social relationships as external motivational components were also significant. Competition emerged as a distinct aspect. This component centers on the love of competition, individual or team athlete. No significant difference was found regarding gender. However, the level of education was important. The coach is over-represented among young people studying in higher education compared to their secondary school peers. In parallel, livelihood and habituation as motivational components are also over-represented among young people in tertiary education. Regarding sport type, a trend level difference could be observed. Individual athletes were significantly over-represented in those highlighting health maintenance as an underlying motivation, while this motivational factor was under-represented among team athletes. Significant over-representation among individual athletes is observed regarding family motivation, recognition, and self-development. For team athletes, family motivation, coach, livelihood, habituation, sport enthusiasm and competition were slightly over-represented. Significant difference was detected concerning the type of sport. A strong over-representation of health maintenance and relaxation is observed, which are over-represented among recreational sportspersons. In contrast, sports enthusiasm showed a clear over-representation among competitive sportspersons. In addition, there was a slight over-representation of coach, livelihood, habituation, self-actualization, social relationships, and competition as motivational components towards competitive athletes while cognition was slightly over-represented among recreational athletes.

Clancy, R. B., Herring, M. P., MacIntyre, T. E., & Campbell, M. J. (2016). A review of competitive sport motivation research. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 27, 232–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.09.003 Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01 Demetriou, Y., Bachner, J., Reimers, A. K., & Göhner, W. (2018). Effects of a Sports-Oriented Primary School on Students’ Physical Literacy and Cognitive Performance. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 3(3), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk3030037 Glaser, B. G. (1994). More grounded theory methodology: A reader. Sociology Press. Harwood, C., Spray, C. M., & Keegan, R. (2008). Achievement goal theories in sport. In Advances in sport psychology, 3rd ed (pp. 157-185,444-448). Human Kinetics. Hepler, T. J. (2016). Can self-efficacy pave the way for successful decision-making in sport? Journal of Sport Behavior, 39(2), 147–159. Hunter, S. K., S. Angadi, S., Bhargava, A., Harper, J., Hirschberg, A. L., D. Levine, B., L. Moreau, K., J. Nokoff, N., Stachenfeld, N. S., & Bermon, S. (2023). The Biological Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance: Consensus Statement for the American College of Sports Medicine. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 55(12), 2328–2360. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003300 Kovács K. E. (2021). A sportperzisztencia vizsgálata az egészség, kapcsolati háló, motiváció és tanulmányi eredményesség függvényében. Iskolakultúra, 31(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.14232/ISKKULT.2021.05.55 Kovács K. E., & Csukonyi C. (2024). A sportperzisztencia vizsgálata. In J. Langerbé Bucgwald, I. Koós & G. Velics (Eds.), Az oktatás határdimenziói. (Budapest-Debrecen). Debreceni Egyetemi Kiadó - Magyar Nevelés- és Oktatáskutatók Egyesülete. Teuber, M., Leyhr, D., & Sudeck, G. (2024). Physical activity improves stress load, recovery, and academic performance-related parameters among university students: A longitudinal study on daily level. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 598. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18082-z Wiium, N., & Säfvenbom, R. (2019). Participation in Organized Sports and Self-Organized Physical Activity: Associations with Developmental Factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4), 585. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040585