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In “Losing is Good for You,” Ashley Merryman argues that society should stop handing out trophies for participation and instead let your child loose sometimes. Merryman states, “today, participation trophies and prizes are almost a given, as children are constantly assured that they are winners.” She later goes on and says that children who are given so much praise will crack “at the first experience of difficulty.” In her opinion, she does not believe that every child should be given a trophy because it will affect how they handle a different task. She claims that children would be better off losing than winning, and she also think that children should not get a trophy for everything they compete in.

As Abate says, “children today need as much of that as they can get in our society.” Parker says trophy’s and not receiving one yourself can be degrading. In addition to acknowledging their effort, they also receive trophies or certificates, reminding them that they were a part of the

Not everyone is a winner. In the passages, “Participation Trophies Send a Dangerous Message,” by Betty Berden and, “Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message,” by Parker Abate, this controversy is explored. Berden analyzes the way participation trophies affect not only the child receiving the trophy, but how that would affect them later in life. Abate claims trophies allow children to feel accomplished. But participation trophies are dangerous because the trophies set the children up for a false reality and are not valuable.

Participation trophies send a dangerous message. I have many trophies,but i worked hard for these trophies. Everyone on my team deserves my team. For the people who think giving out the same award at the end of the year to all the children; i am  sorry to inform you that your hurting the child more than not giving the child the trophy at all. Children need to know the importance of working hard than someone else. In life you do not make the same amount as your boss makes just because you show up on time everyday. Why would the kids who just show up to practice everyday vs the kids the more elite kids get the same reward. Life does not work like that.

Heffernan believes that if kids are given these trophies as a sign of recognition, even for just showing up, they will become motivated to do more next time, because when it comes down to winning and losing, at a young age it’s not a necessity, as the lesson in that is all around them (Heffernan, Paragraph 3). The main lesson in this is that it teaches kids at a young age to not give up, and to strive to succeed, although there is no need to fret over failure, because what matters is that you do your best. Even if success isn’t the result, then working hard with recognition as motivation will have a greater outcome the next time. Not only that, but it is a lesson in teamwork, as kids are taught to work together, and if someone is struggling, then they are there to help, since they have been in the same situation (Heffernan, Paragraph 8). Teamwork is a major key in adulthood. There will be many instances in which teamwork is key, and will make tasks easier to handle. Where there is teamwork, there is also leadership, a quality that many discover through teamwork. It is important for kids to learn leadership in order to handle difficult situations in the future. There are some negatives to those who receive participation trophies, as there can be kids who just don’t care at all about any recognition, and can grow out of the sport, or anything else. Sometimes, what is used to motivate some can be seen as discouraging towards others, and there is where a flaw is seen with

One reason kids should not get trophies is because some kids. Some times dont play on the field. “If kids keep getting trophies then the trophies can lose their meaning.” Only the kids that actually work for trophies should receive them. “Trophies are not an effective way to motivate players.” this explains that kids need a place on the field. This shows that kids should have a place on the field and not get trophies for nothing.

Reminisce about your childhood, sports and activities your parents put you in to spark your interest; remember the awards and medals received. These tokens of achievement are full of special memories and the joyful aspects of being a child. The passages, “Participation Trophies Send a Dangerous Message,” by Betty Berden and “Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message,” by Parker Abate, weigh in on the pros and cons of children receiving trophies for different activities in sports and throughout school. Some people may argue that every child should not receive a reward if they were not one of the best during their activities; however, children should be rewarded for small accomplishments to encourage and uplift them during their childhood.

If young kids get a trophy for every year that they play a sport and don’t win, they begin to think they are entitled to get a trophy. “Everything in life should be earned”, says James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kids just need to learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, that is just how the world works. “They don’t let kids pass classes for just showing up”, says Kurt Warner, former NFL star. The fact is that sometimes your best just is not enough. Life will not give you a trophy for just trying (Website #2).

In the article “Dangers of an ‘everyone gets a trophy’ culture?” Ashley Merryman interviews thirty seven children to see what they think about participation trophies. One kid, Levey Friedman, said to Ashley Merryman “Well, I kind of purposely played in this esiar one because I knew I would win and now I don’t really count that as a real victory because I went in and I knew it was below my level.” In other words Levey Friedman only played on the lower level sports team to win. One year when I played soccer we only won one out of thirteen games. At the end of the year we got our trophies and awards and now every time I see the soccer trophy it just reminds me of how bad our team was and how bad we did that season. Kids know when a sport is below their level so it's dangerous to think that everyone's a

I agree with the fact of all kids should be given trophies. I say this because if all kids are given 1 trophy that is exactly the same with everybody on the team, this way they wouldn’t feel hurt if they weren’t given a trophy. Kids that worked hard could more rewarded individually, thus showing kids that if they want a special reward they have to work hard for it so they can be successful. I think this will help kids prepare for the future and will spare any unnecessary tears.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” this phrase is a great representation of the problem that children of the world face due to participation trophies. Participation trophies kill the drive of young kids unless they are taught to accept them correctly. Children need to know that these awards should not be a goal.

Do we give children too many trophies? According to Bob cook a sports father of four, “when it comes to participation trophies in my experience kids know the score.” Therefore at the end of the day, a trophy for involvement is a gift, and children are aware. Based on the facts and anecdotal evidence we are not giving children too many trophies. These pieces of plastic are a source of memorabilia. In addition, the trophy does not reflect the kid’s attitude towards hard work.

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

In children sports it is common for all children to receive participation trophies whether they win or lose. In life we don’t always win. Children need to learn to fail to be prepared for the failures that happen in life. “It’s through failure and mistakes that we learn the most.” (Merryman). By giving awards to only the children that win, we are teaching them to accept failure.

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