Trophies for Participation

[DanC78]

I always thought it was crazy that every kid received a trophy, win or lose.

But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I received a trophy at the end of every season no matter what our team record.

Is this what the talk is about? Kids simply getting a trophy after their last game?

 

[TarponSpringsNole]

I always thought it was crazy that every kid received a trophy, win or lose.

But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I received a trophy at the end of every season no matter what our team record.

Is this what the talk is about? Kids simply getting a trophy after their last game?

Basically. Yes. Just for showing up so to speak. I'm older, so we only received trophies for first, second or third place.

I was always on very competitive teams (basket & baseball), but a few times I remember being irritated that we didn't place.

It definitely pushed me to play better.

 

[Gonolz]

I always thought it was crazy that every kid received a trophy, win or lose.

But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I received a trophy at the end of every season no matter what our team record.

Is this what the talk is about? Kids simply getting a trophy after their last game?

It's like in marriage, every guy gets a trophy wife, the losers' trophies are just much less desirable.

 

[RTM58]

How Participation Trophies Are Making Our Kids Soft (HBO)

Too Many Trophies Is Bad
According to HBO, there has been a seismic shift in American culture in an effort to make each child feel special. The mentality has created an atmosphere where everyone gets a trophy, but awarding medals and trophies just for participation sets the bar very low, according to experts. Trophies make kids feel like finishing in last place may be good enough.

The Self-Esteem Movement Failed
Ashley Merryman, the author of Losing Is Good for You, told HBO that "none of it works." She said that the self-esteem movement failed to teach kids how to succeed, and giving kids a participation trophy stunts their competitive edge.

Parents Are Part of the Problem
Every parent wants their kids to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that. But parents are among the biggest culprits when it comes to giving kids an inflated sense of self-worth. One Los Angeles youth soccer league doesn't even keep score, and hands out participation trophies to every child whose name is on the roster. When the league tried to stop handing out trophies for showing up, parents actually went out and bought their own trophies for last-place finishers so they would feel special, too.

LINK

 

[SeaPA]

All of the sports leagues that my boys have played in handed out trophies (or medals) to everyone. But every kid & every parent knew damn well which team won both the regular season and playoffs.

 

[QuaZ2002]

I'm 31 and played sports all while growing up and pretty sure I got a trophy every year. So this isn't anything new.

 

[DanC78]

I'm 31 and played sports all while growing up and pretty sure I got a trophy every year. So this isn't anything new.

Yeah, I'm 37 and can remember always receiving a trophy. There might have been a larger 1,2, 3 place trophy.

But like SeaPa said, everyone knows who won 1,2,3 and last etc. no matter what.

I think this topic may be receiving to much attention from the national media.

 

[Fijimn]

This is the biggest media-driven non-issue since the Crack baby epidemic of the 1980's. Americans love to compartmentalize societal issues--issues that have several causes/contributions/influences--into any easy to understand package, with the added bonus that they can coin meaningless phrases like Wussification of American. The media feeds this beast.

Your kid getting a participation trophy isn't going to f- him up. Parents do a lot more damage...

 

[Octoberfest]

I've played sports at every level and have only one trophy. From high school. (I do have quite a few plaques from FSU but those don't count). I think I survived OK, but who knows.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I read on Facebook that Target is going to start selling gender-neutral trophies.

 

[noleit]

I read on Facebook that Target is going to start selling gender-neutral trophies.

Insert hand clapping gif

 

[ChiefDunn]

I'm in my 30's and received trophies for baseball and football during elementary school. T-ball league. Once I hit middle school, trophies were only handed out to top teams and all stars only. I remember not making all stars one year, but I received the "Coaches Award" which basically meant, "hey kid, you sucked this year, but you're really funny, here's a trophy."

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I'm in my 30's and received trophies for baseball and football during elementary school. T-ball league. Once I hit middle school, trophies were only handed out to top teams and all stars only. I remember not making all stars one year, but I received the "Coaches Award" which basically meant, "hey kid, you sucked this year, but you're really funny, here's a trophy."

Radio, is that you?

 

[OrlandNole]

It continues into adulthood. Everyone gets a "medal" for finishing a race.

 

[GwinnettNole]

Your kid getting a participation trophy isn't going to f- him up. Parents do a lot more damage...

This

 

[alaskanseminole]

I can't recall ever getting a participation trophy or ribbon.

I understand for the little tikes, but once you hit middle school, it's a bit ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with a healthy competitive edge.

 

[tommynole3476]

One of the things I find funny about this whole thing is that James Harrison has become the Jenny McCarthy of the anti-participation trophy movement.

Here's his quote:

“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! 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 sorry 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 want to do better…not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy.”

So here's why that screams irony to me; if it weren't for PEDs this dude would probably be spitting in people's food at a Wendy's drive thru, not playing in the NFL. Now, that's not to say I'm anti-PED, especially for football, but I dang sure don't believe that PED users 'earn' their strength and physique. Fact is James, your best wasn't good enough, and instead of 'trying your best' and driving yourself to 'want to do better' you cheated.

Yeah, your kids got a participation trophy, just like the vast majority of kids have been getting for the past 40-50 years; it isn't some new phenomenon (I remember getting them all the way up until my teenage years).

Some people see it as a reward or encouragement for learning, doing things the right way, trying your best and/or hard work, and isn't about who won the most games, because that's not what is most important when you're freaking 8 years old (and as other have pointed out, they often give bigger/better trophies for 1-2-3 place).

What's important is building your child's confidence so they won't be afraid to learn or try new things, or *gasp* fail from time to time.

Personally, I believe kids that don't grow up with encouragement grow up to be chitty arse adults who cut corners or cheat to win, because the lesson you learn when you're only rewarded when you win is that winning is all that matters, and you better do whatever it takes to be a winner.

(Now if we want to discuss HS age and older, into adulthood, getting participation trophies; that's a completely different issue.)

 

[SoddyNole]

What makes kids soft is sitting inside all day watching TV and playing video games.

Kids in sports leagues today are busting their butts trying to improve, compete and joining more advanced leagues. They are likely to be playing their sport of choice year round, traveling to compete out of town and getting more technical coaching than most middle schools and some high schools.

I can not think of a bigger non issue in the sports world. Handing out participation trophies stops once they get into older rec leagues and don't remember any of the select tournaments doing so.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

What I remember as a kid was that the loser teams got plaques and the 1st-3rd teams got trophies of different sizes. No harm in that, the scrubs were just happy to get something shiny to run around with for a few minutes then pass off to mom when the hot dogs and kool aid were passed around.

 

[GwinnettNole]

Personally, I believe kids that don't grow up with encouragement grow up to be chitty arse adults who cut corners or cheat to win, because the lesson you learn when you're only rewarded when you win is that winning is all that matters, and you better do whatever it takes to be a winner.

I agree with this paragraph a lot-- and have highlighted the part that hit the HR with me. This winning at all costs is a big problem-- I see it with the neighbor's kids who wants to win AT EVERYTHING he does and when he doesn't win he pouts/ storms off and probably goes home to cry about it. He's in the 5th grade. I gurantee you he gets it from his a-hole arrogant father who is the same way just on an adult level....which is worse. It's basically teaching winning is everything and you better do what it takes to win or you will be miserable. The dad, of course, fits every stereotype-- is in sales, played HS football, drives a massive F150 and will guard young kids in a neighborhood two hand touch game....

 

[jet06d]

What ages are we talking about? I'm fine with kids below 8 or 9 y/o getting trophies for finishing out a season, regardless of result. At those ages it shouldnt be about trying to "win", but rather development and social-building (teamwork). But yeah, once you get to middle and high schools, quit that.

Besides you can't get a trophy for going out and playing if you aren't actually outside playing.

 

[321Nole]

I played in the same leagues as Poop. We all knew the standings top-to-bottom. We knew which trophies were real and which ones were just handouts. I suspect the kids of today are just as smart as we were and the drama is just an adult thing.

 

[DanC78]

What ages are we talking about? I'm fine with kids below 8 or 9 y/o getting trophies for finishing out a season, regardless of result. At those ages it shouldnt be about trying to "win", but rather development and social-building (teamwork). But yeah, once you get to middle and high schools, quit that.

Besides you can't get a trophy for going out and playing if you aren't actually outside playing.

Good point...I'm assuming when when this is spoken about, we are talking elementary school kids. Not 13 and up.

I definitely didn't receive trophies for losing at this age. We did however have award ceremonies at the end of the year where we reconsigned individuals for most improved, MVP, etc.

 

[seminole97]

I played in the same leagues as Poop. We all knew the standings top-to-bottom. We knew which trophies were real and which ones were just handouts. I suspect the kids of today are just as smart as we were and the drama is just an adult thing.

I recall reading an article a few years talking about a youth soccer league that wasn't keeping score. They interviewed one of the kids and he said, 'we still keep the score in our heads.'

 

[dero316]

I'm 33 and I remember everyone getting a trophy at the post-season team party for baseball and football with additional trophies given out to MVP and Rookie of the year and maybe a framed certificate for Best Team Player and a few others. If you won the park championship(little league & junior major) you got another trophy, 2nd place got a medal. Then All-Stars, another participation trophy for the whole team after the tournament(again tournament winners get a trophy, 2nd gets a medal).

I don't see a problem with everyone getting a post-season participation trophy because All-Star selection lets the kids know that hard work and practice gets you more recognition(and trophies).

 

[dmm5157]

I'm 33 and I remember everyone getting a trophy at the post-season team party for baseball and football with additional trophies given out to MVP and Rookie of the year and maybe a framed certificate for Best Team Player and a few others. If you won the park championship(little league & junior major) you got another trophy, 2nd place got a medal. Then All-Stars, another participation trophy for the whole team after the tournament(again tournament winners get a trophy, 2nd gets a medal).

I don't see a problem with everyone getting a post-season participation trophy because All-Star selection lets the kids know that hard work and practice gets you more recognition(and trophies).

Ditto to this. We all got standard trophies, then special patches/trophies were given to those who won special awards (tourney MVP, teams that finished 1st or 2nd place in tournament, etc)

As a kid, the obligatory team trophy never felt like a "WOW, I'm AMAZING!" trophy, it was just a reminder that I played on the team. The ones I cherished were the special 1st place and MVP trophies. We always had competitive teams, though. And there were always overbearing dads wanting their kids to win those special awards that took things a little too far at times. But that's pretty much how things were.

I have no problem with the "everyone gets a trophy" for kids that participate. I don't think it dumbs down competition, there will always be competition. Getting recognition isn't the only thing that drives kids. Those kids know who won, as do their parents.

People who get in a tizzy about who gets trophies/awards and who doesn't need to get over their insecurities of acknowledgement.

 

[Osceola1728]

I'm 43, and when I played baseball only first place got trophies. I think participation trophies are ridiculous. You have a uniform to show you participated.

 

[LesClaypool]

Im 40 and we got participation trophies. It's not new and I suspect the guy who's 43 that posted above me got them too...maybe he just doesn't remember b/c it was so long ago.

We still had 1st place trophies, all-stars, etc. too.

This IS a non-issue.

 

[More Kirk Less Spock]

If you gave a kid a t shirt that said you played great this year, would that be ok? People are attaching too much emotion to a shiny object that used to symbolize one thing and now symbolizes something else. Trophies used to denote victory. Now they denote something more broad, membership on a team and/or completion of a season, or whatever.... symbols and customs change. I guess some people don't have enough real worries.

 

[Osceola1728]

Im 40 and we got participation trophies. It's not new and I suspect the guy who's 43 that posted above me got them too...maybe he just doesn't remember b/c it was so long ago.

We still had 1st place trophies, all-stars, etc. too.

This IS a non-issue.

Nope. We never got participation trophies. The league champs got a trophy and the leagues MVP (voted on by the kids) got one as well. One was also given out for best sportsmanship. The kids that made all-stars didn't get one unless the parents pooled together to get the whole team one. I remember....Im 43, not 93.

 

[Fear the Spear]

I always thought it was crazy that every kid received a trophy, win or lose.

But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I received a trophy at the end of every season no matter what our team record.

Is this what the talk is about? Kids simply getting a trophy after their last game?

After thinking about it long and hard, trophies for participation are awesome. Why? Well to get a kid to actually get out and off their asses to participate in a sport is a great thing in these days and times.

What else could your kid be doing?

drugs
just hanging out being a slob
likely to be more depressed or with drawn inward
joining and being part of a gang
alcohol
being a lazy ass
trolling the internet all day
more likely to be sexually active at earlier ages
watching the garbage on cable tv all day all night
sitting around texting all day

So yes getting kids to get off their butts and to participate in something and them being rewarded for their participation in something positive is a great thing. Its not always about winning and losing.

 

[David Slaton]

I am 47 and got a trophy for every team I played on every year, baseball, football and soccer. This was during the 70's in Atlanta. Getting a trophy for being on the team is nothing new. People should stop trying to make an emblematic issue out of this. Simply not a millenial phenomenon.

 

[Nole Lou]

This is the dumbest "controversy" in the world. The stupid 3" trophies they hand out aren't for winning anything, and my kids have probably accumulated 60 of these things over the years. Never, ever, one time has it been presented to them like the won something. It's a cheap souvenir of the season and nothing more. My son, at any age, has never mistaken the trophy they hand out for an accomplishment, and I can't imagine any kid does.

Back in the "good old days" when you only got a trophy for winning the league, were you playing for the trophy? Or were you playing to win? Like, if there was no trophy, you would have made no effort? This fetishization of trophies is ludicrous. You either have the desire to win and accomplish something, or you don't, and the trophy part of it is silly. What would you be teaching a 6 year old by withholding a trophy? You think that piece of plastic is the key factor in teaching a kid about winning?

And news flash...most 6, 7, 8 year olds are not there because their ultra competitive anyway, they're there because they like playing. Should they be not allowed? Two of my three kids were like that...I guess they shouldn't have been allowed to play if it's all about winning.

Kids are going to have/learn that drive, or they won't, and the trophy is the least of it.

I wouldn't care if there weren't participation trophies, and I don't care that they exist. It's close to the most irrelevant thing in the world. The best thing about it is that I can point around my son's room to remind him all the money I've spent, and demand to know why he still stinks.

 

[Nole Lou]

And if there's ANYTHING this world is short of today, it's definitely not parents and kids that are ultra-competitive about youth sports. Pretty hard to make the case that participation trophies have ruined the competitive nature of youth sports, when there's 11-year olds getting Tommy John surgery, or are on their 5th concussion.

 

[More Kirk Less Spock]

 

[LT4PLY]

I think when they are young and really don't 'get it' then it can really boost them up and get them to come back next year. There is too much, if anything, competition in little kids sports to the point where many don't return. Around age 8 or 9 and on... bring on the competition and screw the participation trophies.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I think when they are young and really don't 'get it' then it can really boost them up and get them to come back next year. There is too much, if anything, competition in little kids sports to the point where many don't return. Around age 8 or 9 and on... bring on the competition and screw the participation trophies.

Yeah, my youngest still loves getting the medals and trophies at the end of the year. With my oldest son the end of the year trophies ended at age 9. Then when they moved from rec to competitive the entire team is comprised of kids who love to compete and win and aren't thrilled about second place. It's interesting to me to see how the process works itself out.

 

[Nole2K]

I always thought it was crazy that every kid received a trophy, win or lose.

But now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I received a trophy at the end of every season no matter what our team record.

Is this what the talk is about? Kids simply getting a trophy after their last game?

After seeing your age, name, and other posts, I think we may have played little league together. Sonnys?

 

[DanC78]

After seeing your age, name, and other posts, I think we may have played little league together. Sonnys?

ha..yes! That was a very long time ago. I moved out to the beach shortly after that season. Never really hooked back up with any of my friends in town again until high school.

 

[jamnolfin]

A wise man once said you learn more from losing than you do from winning. All of that is erased by giving losers trophys.