It seems from some books on children's rhymes {I can't remember whether this includes the Opies' books which I consider to be great resources} that kids didn't want to be choosen as "It". But my recollections and observations dispute this premise.

I definitely think that some kids like to be "It". Sometimes a child who is the group leader chooses him or herself as "It". Sometimes a child with a strong personality or a child who is known to be a good runner is "chosen" by other kids to be "It".

Sometimes kids don't want to go through the process of choosing "It" using an elimation rhyme because it takes too long. Imo, one reason nowadays that children may not want to go through the whole process of choosing "It" by the rhyming/elimination method is they want things to happen fast and-with a large group-this process could take a long time. Another reason why 21st century children may not use rhymes to choose "It" as often as I recall mid and late 20th century children doing, is that nowadays time for group outdoor play may be limited. For instance, children who want to play "Tag" or "It Tag" or other chasing games during "recess" {an alloted time for free play after lunch} have to get on with it because they don't have much time before the school bell will ring and they've got to go back to the grind of classes. Needless to say, computer games, video games, tv, adult organized sports,and other adult directed children's activities all take up the time that children could use for free play.