Should Young Athletes Be Paid?

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Visualize a soccer team where everyone works hard in drills and practices every day. Their team is exemplary in skill and hard work and plays against an opposing team where most of the kids never practice outside of standard routine. Of course, the opposing team loses the game, and the other team receives medals and a gold trophy. However, the losers are each rewarded with smaller trophies, diminishing the accomplishment of the other team. The value of a reward is an unforgettable memory. Rewards provide children and adults with the feeling of accomplishment and acknowledgement for their hard work. However, not everyone deserves something for their participation. Although this is just one example, there are real-life instances just like this happening right now. Moreover, the saying that “everyone is a winner” detrimentally affects the people who work hard to win what they merit. For example, Betty Berden composed a …show more content…

Considering this, many people work hard to achieve their goals, but are overshadowed by others with more talent or skills. It happens often in sports, competitions, work, and even school. For example, Parker Abate goes on to explain that “These young athletes should be honored in lesser ways, and all deserve to feel some form of accomplishment.” Following up with the statement that “These kids dedicate time, effort and enthusiasm, and they deserve to have something tangible to make them feel that their participation was worthwhile.” Though Abate makes impressive claims as to why everyone deserves to “win,” it does not override the fact that it can ruin the self-esteem of the ones who work hard and put in the effort to be rewarded. Overall, children and adults should not be rewarded simply because they take part in the

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