The tacitly sanctioned practice of publicly picking teams in physical education has been categorized as instructionally inappropriate, yet its practice persists. Therefore, the purpose of this two-study article was to examine its effects on achievement goals orientations and motivational profiles of male junior high school physical education students (n = 233). Students were assigned to one of two conditions (publicly picked teams or confidential draft) in four sports and across four trials. Unexpectedly, findings revealed no significant differences between groups across sports or within trials in (a) goals orientation or (b) self-determined motivation. However, follow-up interviews revealed insights into (a) selection motives, (b) differentiation in conceptions of abilities, and (c) a sense of empathy for peers vulnerable to the practice. Despite nonsignificant findings in survey results, the qualitative data revealed nuances associated with this practice that have allowed us to make specific recommendations against the continued use of this practice.