Work Ethics In Youth Sports

613 Words2 Pages

Should someone who exhibits a fraction of the amount of effort as someone else receive the same merits as that person? Participation trophies do give a child a sense of accomplishment, but that sense of accomplishment quickly diminishes with each trophy. This practice creates entitled adults who begin to expect recognition for even the most miniscule amount of effort. This is a major problem in youth sports, and the only way to understand the severity of the situation is to look beyond the trophy. Participation is literally defined as “the state of being related to a larger whole” (Merriam-Webster) but that basic criteria is not always met. Participation trophies may seem harmless and do indeed have the child’s best interest in mind, but they just simply don’t translate to good adult qualities. If “everyone’s a winner” one is left to wonder how a child is going to learn …show more content…

In many youth leagues, parameters are taken to promote equality so much so that they fail to realize the large variation is work ethics in young children. So the biggest injustice occurs when children who work hard and actually win don’t receive any different than those who who don’t anything. Participating is just for the love of the game for many, “But I keep thinking about my girls: they don't play soccer because they get a trophy. They play because they love the sport. And the trophy pretty much just gathers dust on their shelves. The real thing they care about is the game itself, which is where we, as a family, like to keep the focus, on the effort they put in and how it felt afterward.” (Cnn.com) When the inevitable sensation of losing occurs, participating in their chosen sport should be enough satisfaction for their efforts. Ideally the initial disappointment is to be channeled into motivation for the next time they play. This mentality promotes work ethic, which can only benefit

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