The participation trophy debate has been an issue going on for years. It made national headlines back in 2015 when Pittsburg Steelers linebacker James Harrison publically took his two boys participation trophies away and gave them back to the organization that gave it to them. He was quoted saying, "While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy.... I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I'm not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best...cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to …show more content…
The 'for participation trophies' side believes that by handing out these trophies to children now that it shouldn't have any negative effect on their future. Showing children that by trying and showing up are all that matters. By doing this it makes everyone a winner and therefore everyone should be rewarded. The 'against participation trophies' side believes that by making everyone a winner, this will create negative long-term effects on children. By parents and coaches over praising these children that it won't teach them any positive life lessons. They also believe that trophies "teach kids about winning and losing, about success and failure", which is an important lesson that they will use their whole …show more content…
Lisa is part of the 'for' group when it comes to this debate, Vivian is part of the 'against' group. In Lisa's article one can clearly see that she is a firm believer that children now can benefit from receiving participation trophies. She states that trophies will motivate "kids to participate in sports, to learn to improve their skills, to help others, to work hard and make a contribution to the team." She is not really concerned or mentions these kids and how they may be in the future. Vivian on the other is worried that if we keep handing out participation trophies to children, we are going to raise a bunch of young adults who cannot handle losing in the real world. She quotes a man who was questioned "if it's best to reward them for just showing up?" She believes that we are failing "to distinguish the accomplishments that deserve it, from those that don't." Vivian thinks that we are failing to teach this important life lesson to our children by handing them these trophies. Lisa and Vivian, two authors and two very different points of views on participation trophies. This may be one of those debates in which the two sides may never agree on. Or perhaps they may just agree to
About one year ago, I played on a Pburg Liners basketball team. It was the championship game and we really wanted to win, but we did not play well, so as a result, we lost. After the game, our coach gave us all trophies. On the other hand , I was thinking, did we actually deserve them. Apparently, some people think that everyone should get a participation trophy. However, people strongly believe not everyone should get a trophy. People believe this because kids who only show up to some practices and do not try hard should definitely not get the same recognition as a person who shows up to all of the practices and works really hard. It teaches kids that young kids have to
L. Hefferman’s article “ In Defense of Participation Trophies: Why they really do teach the right values?” it states “ An award is not really an award if everyone gets it.” (Today.com) In another article by Ashley Merryman called “Losing is Good For You” it says “Awards can be a powerful motivators but nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve.” (New York Times Sept. 2013) It is clear, by not giving participation awards it make the children who do get awarded feel more special than if everyone gets one. Obviously, not giving participation awards to everyone gives more of a boost of self-esteem to the people who do get
Our society has shifted its beliefs in how we should treat competition in young people. The question is asked, should all kids get a participation trophy? As it may seem to be an unanswerable question, it honestly isn’t. Thought that the participation trophies may send the message that “coaches” value the kids’ efforts despite their abilities, trophies do not need to be given out. Your words mean just as much when you remind an athlete that you value them in more ways than one. Some may think trophies are a great idea because it shows that everyone’s a “winner.” However, I disagree with that idea. I believe that kids should know that they need to work their hardest in order to be rewarded and understand that not
Some argue that participation trophies are going to be the downfall of society and human life in general. That is not the case but, there are many downsides of these awards, in this essay a few of these will be brought to attention. Participation trophies do not teach children valuable lessons.
According to researcher and author of “Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing,” Ashley Merryman says “having studied recent increases in narcissism and entitlement among college students, (she) warns that when living rooms are filled with participation trophies, it’s part of a larger cultural message: to succeed, you just have to show up.” She also says “if children know they will automatically get an award, what is the impetus for improvement? Why bother learning problem-solving skills, when there are never obstacles to begin with?” She goes on to say handing out trophies undermines kids’ success: “The benefit of competition isn’t actually winning”. Another author says “when you’re constantly giving a kid a trophy for everything they’re doing, you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about improvement. I don’t care that you’re learning from your mistakes. All we expect is that you’re always a winner’” (Ross). These particiation trophies have many negative effects that can make these children less succesful in competitive enviornments: such as college or in the work force. It will also make them less prepared for an independent life after leaving
A participation trophy can help a child's drive to improve. When a child plays a game and loses, but then watches the other team get a trophy they feel that they suck and won't try to improve. Once they get a participation trophy they make the child feel like they did good and that next time if they get better they will get a bigger trophy for winning and not losing. For instance, “Further, studies also tell us that children who participate in sports get better…”(Huffington 1). This exemplifies that children who participate feel the drive to get better at the sport. When inferring that since they participated they are getting an award if makes them feel like they did good, and then they want to get even better to get a better reward. Thus making the kids get better at the sport showing that participation trophies are beneficial to children, but there are more opportunities to show how they are
Todays generation of kids have been crafted to expect praise for everyday tasks and have become entitled all because of something many people thought was harmless, participation trophies. If you ask anyone, they have probably recieved a participation trophy at least once in their life and some will think it was a good thing, but others may beg to differ. In my opinion participation trophies are a bad tool in life because it goes along and is a big part of the we are all winners concept. Trophies should be a symbol of accomplishing something not a symbol of participation in an activity and a few people have written about their opinion about this situation varying from critical writers, to college athletes from around the country here are
Determining whether to award participation trophies or not is a controversial issue in America today. Surprisingly, most people are in favor of not awarding participation trophies to children because of the negative outcomes. A solution that is suggested to solving the problem is to ensure both the winning and losing team a trophy. Conversely, when both teams receive a trophy this defeats the purpose of even playing the game. Children are smart enough to know if they won or lost a game, and by letting each team receive a trophy it creates confusion for children. If a child is rewarded with a plaque after a loss, this could cause confusion for a child because he or she might not understand the purpose of the plaque. Several children understand that while competing there is only one true winner, and by giving both teams awards this creates a false sense of how sports actually maneuver. As children grow old enough to play for their school’s team, they will quickly learn that only teams who win are awarded trophies. Teaching children how a sport operates at a young age could help children comprehend sports better and sooner. Children should not be given participation trophies because the winning effort should be awarded, each sport is a competition, and children deserve proper feedback.
Trophies were once infrequent in society. You would have to go to your local jewelry store and spend top dollar on a shiny piece of sterling silver or gold. Thus, you didn’t see a whole lot of children running around with new trophies every week. However, with the arrival of the 1960s, many factories that had been once used to produce military goods during WWII would now be available for mass-production consumer goods. Trophies would now be marketed and sold to coaches and athletic departments, or available at your hometown sporting goods store (Merryman). In modern day society, sports participation trophies are almost guaranteed, ensuring every child is a “winner” at the end of the day. These participation trophies are extremely harmful to our youth and should only be given out when deemed necessary.
Some people think that giving children a participation trophy after a sports game or season is a helpful thing to do. People may think this because it can teach kids the importance of showing up to practice and games and trying your best, which are important skills later in life. (Heffernan 1) Kids will also be happy that their hard work is being acknowledged and rewarded, in the form of a trophy. (Heffernan 1) However, this
Imagine that you just got done sitting on the bench during your basketball tournement. You sat the whole game and your team just lost. After you shake hands with the other team the anouncer calls both teams onto the center of the court. Your coach hands you and all of your other teammates a trophy that says "Good job! At least you tried." You cannot believe that you just got a trophy for sitting on the bench the whole game, not doing anything. All you had to do was show up and you get a trophy weather you win or lose. Although some people argue that participation trophies are good for your self-esteem, I believe that they are useless and a waste of money.
How would you feel if you saw someone get the same trophy as you, for simply showing up, while you tried your hardest? According to the "Trophies for All" policy, youth athletes are being awarded with participation trophies. It's time youth athletes realize, not everyone is a winner. The more trophies we give out, the less each one means. Furthermore, the premise behind these awards is a false one.
This quote supports the idea that all of the said positive effects of participation trophies are false and are doing more harm than good long term for children. All in all, the effects of participation trophies have been proven to be negative and cause kids to not be proficient. Admittedly, people who oppose the idea of not giving out participation trophies argue that they make kids feel included. Some kids do put in their best effort and it makes them feel very accomplished when they receive something like a participation trophy. In fact, The Washington Suns president and sports reporter Jeff Barker stated “Some parents say the trophies are uplifting and foster a sense of belonging.”
Participation trophies are the biggest joke in the American culture, we give trophies to kids who play a sport and lose every game or sit the bench the whole time. Should we corrupt our youth with false or trophies with no meaning by just allowing them to participate and get a trophy when their team doesn’t win a game all year the same as kids who win every game. Trophies are meant for the best and the most worthy of them, not a kid who goes out for the team and doesn’t play. “EARN a real trophy” says James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steeler, and he doesn’t let his kids receive participation trophies. Harrison took his son’s participation trophy from him because a trophy is for the winningest team, not for every kid. I agree with James with not allowing the distribution of a participation trophy, it tells kids they are good enough and that they worked just as hard as the kid that is better then them when that kid worked all summer to be better.
It sends the wrong message to kids. Only participating should not be rewarded. Working hard, and pushing for goals should be rewarded. 1. The money spent on trophies is a whopping 3 billion dollars in the US and Canada.