Should Trophiess Be Allowed To Winners?

Imagine walking into a rec center’s storage closet and thinking you walked into a major athlete’s attic on accident. There are soccer trophies lined on shelves, basketball medals hanging from everywhere they can, miniature football statues packed in open boxes, swimming awards in towers along the walls, and tennis posters taped to every space with enough room to hang on. Ever since the middle of the 20th Century, coaches have been giving out participation trophies to every kid who plays the sport. But trophies should only be given to winners because, trophies don’t mean anything when everyone gets one, trophies cause narcissism, and giving trophies to everyone sends the wrong message.

Trophies are supposed to mean something, but when everyone gets one the meaning is lost. For instance, the Iasevoli article states,”’If we give a trophy to everyone then the award has no meaning.’“ The winner who deserves the trophy is getting the same award as the worst player on the team. How is that trophy supposed to hold virtue now? To illustrate, the Merryman article shows,”Trophies were once rare things - sterling silver loving cups bought from jewelry stores for truly special occasions.” Back then trophies were for winners, and they

In fact, the Merryman article states,”‘My children look forward to their trophy as much as playing the game.’“ Giving kids these trophies is boosting their egos - and a little too much. Living rooms are simply filled with trophies from just participation in sports. Furthermore, the Merryman article shows,”In college, those who’ve grown up receiving endless rewards do the required work, but don’t see need to do it well.” These college students don’t see the need to do it well, because they have been assured their whole life that they are great at everything, even when they don’t try their best. Thus, it’s easy to see how participation trophies cause