Participation Trophies Should Be Allowed

This message is repeated at the end of each sports season, year after year, and is only reinforced by the collection of trophies that continue to pile up. We begin to expect awards and praise for just showing up — to class, practice, after-school jobs — leaving us woefully unprepared for reality.” This evidence reveals the reality of the world that the children will soon have to witness themselves. If people continue to give out these participation awards, children will begin to think that this is how the real world operates, which is not true at all. Not everyone can win sometimes, and that is the harsh reality of the real world.

Participation trophies should be Something to win for because of you win then you should feel good about yourself and if you lose, then you need to feel like you need to work harder next year.

We are telling them that you don't need to improve, because you will still get a trophy anyway. I believe that there shouldn’t be participation trophies, because it gives a negative impact, causing a self-obsessed, irresponsible, and unmotivated generation of false achievers. If we don’t buy the participation trophies, we will have more money for sports equipment, sports balls, etc. “While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do, these trophies will be handed back, until they earn a real trophy!”

She argues that kids sign up to be able to be on a team and for the excitement it some with, however, kids fail to see how being in a team is beneficial to their future. Parents should value the commitment and effort kids put into the learning process of the rules, skills and protocols needed to work as a team. Whether a child wins or loses, they learn the importance of commitment and the skills that were needed to help the team out. Although, she mentions that some kids only focus on the attendance rather than the work that is needed to help the team. She quotes Professor Kenneth Barish to support her argument, “The idea of giving trophies only to winners doesn’t emphasize enough the other values that are important… We want kids to participate in sports, to learn to improve their skills, to help others, to work hard and to make a contribution to the team.” She believes that children at an early age value the meaning of a team, that they want to do everything to help each other out, whether everyone works or not. There is an age limit where they start to realize that not everyone put in the effort, but “what matters is showing up for practice, learning rules and rituals of the game and working

A person will have to outwork others to beat them. This is why children need to learn the importance of competition. The way the world is structured involves competition everywhere, and without the skill a person will not be on the same level as others. But encouraging children in competitive activities like sports early on with trophies help children benefit. Parker Abate is a sophomore athlete who studies communications at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, has been involved in youth sports since he was five years old, as a player and then as a coach. Abate stated in an article, “Children learn about teamwork, sportsmanship and they learn the importance of exercise in youth sports.” As Abate stated, children learn important things in sports which supports why they should receive participation awards to a certain

Once I had a teammate that would cry every gymnastics competition they went to because they were not awarded for anything passed fourth. Their mom would explain to them that if they worked harder and turned that maudlin feeling into motivation, they would be on the leaderboard. So, she worked harder in the gym and eventually ended up fourth with a beaming smile plastered on her face. This correlates with the controversial discussion of whether kids should be awarded participation trophies. In the passages, “Participation Trophies Send a Dangerous Message” by Betty Berden and “In Youth Sports, Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message” by Parker Abate, they both discuss juxtaposition sides of the argument whether participants should receive

Finally, kids that are given participation trophies are given the wrong idea. Fifty-seven percent of people said "only winners" deserve to have participation trophies, giving out participation trophies is tantamount to giving kids the wrong praise, and giving kids with bad attitudes and not a care in the world is not a good idea. These kids need to realize that they need

In an age where everyone is expected to be recognized, there must be an understanding that the world does not progress by congratulating the “average.” I believe that giving participation trophies makes people stop competing; especially if the trophies are given at a very early age. For example, a team of small children have a terrible baseball season, but it’s okay! Because the coach gives out trophies to everyone. This in turn only teaches the child that no matter how bad life gets, they will always be rewarded. Participation trophies create future generations of entitled adults as seen by today’s generation. We need to reward kids that work hard for what they do for the sake of risk and reward. That is simply how progress is made in society. Yet I agree with one point made by the opposing side. I believe that participation should be recognized sometimes. Participation can teach kids that teamwork matters in every little aspect of society. Participation trophies should be eliminated but participation should still merely just be recognized with a pat on the back as said by Betty Berdan, a high school junior from Connecticut. Participation trophies overall hinder the growing and learning process of kids; whether it is through sports, or any other competitive involvement.

Reason-Rupe poll, 43 percent of Americans believe that every child should receive a trophy for participation, but the numbers drop with income, education, and age. Although participation trophies can cause unrealistic expectations in children, these trophies raise self-esteem and build a work ethic.

In my essay, I will explain why participating in trophies is not only unnecessary but can also be harmful to their development and understanding of real-world competition. Support 1: The first reason why I believe kids should not get participation trophies is that it builds character. In this generation,

While many writers claim that participation trophies are beneficial, writer Ashley Merryman agrees with the idea that participation trophies are more destructive than beneficial regarding the learning process of a child. The general argument made by Merryman in her work, “Forget Trophies, Let Kids Know It’s O.K. to Lose,” is that providing

“Sending him home empty-handed at the end of a hard-fought season won’t help him learn the lesson of losing, it will teach him early that there’s no value in the attempt” (Zadrozny). Prizes such as trophies and ribbons are a controversial topic in society. Some believe that not enough are handed out to children while others believe that too many are handed out. Trophies are a symbol of victory and triumph, but do not forget that children just want to feel part of a team even though they are not good enough. Putting forth an honest effort is important, and doing well is the habit on which they will be repeatedly evaluated in life. Even though some believe trophies are not good, they give a boost of confidence while keeping children happy and

Elementary students who participate in group sports often receive participation awards at the end of the sports season. James Harrison posted on twitter that he felt participation trophies were wrong, because the child did not actually achieve anything. This post has caused a major controversy across the United States. Some parents agree with Harrison and say that participation trophies create a false sense of achievement, which stops their child from trying hard later on. I, however, disagree. Participation awards help kids feel like they had a part in an activity, reward children from their effort, and can help them strive for success.

A new trend across America has risen in sports. Event officials are doling out participation trophies in massive numbers. The question is, are these participation trophies negatively changing the basic American values we treasure in these children? Yes, participation trophies are shaping a new cultural norm of entitlement and it promotes a new attitude of doing nothing, yet still being rewarded for it. This trend must be put to a halt and reversed. Participation trophies are not the answer to making kids feel better about themselves.

Participation trophies are changing kids ideas of winning around the globe in many ways. First off, it gives children the wrong impression on working or putting an effort towards something. Trophies are something you should have to earn. Life doesn’t give you a participation medal, you have to earn it (Website #2). Kids just need to learn that