Preview

Participation Trophies Essay For Kids

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
399 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Participation Trophies Essay For Kids
Participation trophies give kids an excuse to not give it their all 100% of the time.
It has been stated, “We need to distinguish between an award and a reward” (Pricemen). Earning a first place trophy feels better knowing that all the hard work they put into getting there was worth it. Then not working at all and getting a trophy they didn’t work for. Participation trophies can be good if they are used properly; “It is odd and sad in the age of social media, that too many people criticize participation trophies” (Pricemen). Participation trophies can motivate children to work harder to succeed the next time the next time they compete. Yet, the majority of children that get a participation trophies choose to give up and shy away from the sport they are playing. Participation trophies neglect the development of children. It has acknowledged “It’s fine to say ‘You didn’t go to all the games. You didn’t attend all the practices. And the other kid worked really hard and did well and he deserves a trophy and you should go over and congratulate him” (Wallace). Participation trophies tell children that trying there hardest to earn a medal has no meaning. As
…show more content…
Participation trophies can give a child the drive to succeed and come in first. Or to give up and walk away from the sport they are playing. Merryman states “ We must focus on process and progress, not results and rewards” (Merryman). Children that do good and succeed in the sport that they are playing makes them have a sense of pride when they win. And may possibly lose that pride when they get a participation trophy.
Merry man says “Thus letting kids lose, or not taking home the trophy isn’t about embarrassing our children” (Merryman). The effort that children put forth will be shown by the trophy they earn. The people who work the hardest will get the best reward. And the people who cheat themselves and do not give it there all will be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Fewer kids play amid pressure.” by Machael Rosenwald, the author addresses an issue widely faced by many children. Quitting sports because of the pressure their parents put on to them to keep playing to hopefully become a professional “elite athlete”. A survey was taken to see what the top factors contributing to kids happiness was. The results helped to prove the fact that children aren’t in games for winning or being the best. This is proven when the article reads, “...low on the list: playing in tournaments, cool uniforms and expensive equipment. High on the list: positive team dynamics, trying hard, positive coaching and learning”(Rosenwald 3). As this shows, children enjoy not being pushed to constantly be the best. Instead, they prefer being encouraged and not being forced into…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many children that compete in youth sports receive trophies for their participation. The question is, are these trophies leaving a positive or a negative impact towards children. Supporting participation trophies, Lisa Heffernan states that it does teach children good values with her argument titled “In Defense of Participation Trophies”. Opposing participation trophies, Vivian Diller states that it does not prepare children for the real world with her argument titled “Do We All Deserve Gold? Setting Kids up to Fail”.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Not to mention they have to do nothing, Kids don’t try as hard at sports. For kids to get a trophy now-a-days they only have to show up to the practices and games. They don’t have to do anything except participate in the games. Also in addition to kids doing nothing, It’s unfair for those kids that actually want to try and get better instead of getting a trophy. For some teams when kids don’t try the coaches have permission to say they can’t…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Growing up, children go to school and the majority participate in various sports and activities. It gives students something to look forward to, occupy their time, and become more well rounded individuals. The common theme of being involved in these areas is of course doing it to have fun. That is why so much heart and dedication is put forth in efforts to excel; the love of the select extra curricular activity. However, there are questions about the final end reward and whether participation trophies need to be implemented.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Participation Trophys

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page

    Participation trophies lose their meanings at times.youth athletes take them for granted. Coaches spend $2000-$3000 on participation trophies every year. Coaches could spend those funds on sports organization…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rewarding Mediocrity is dangerous, especially with kids, because it will shape their expectation to be winning trophies in everything they attend. Because as a kid, they will ask themselves “ I have achieved this big trophy, why don’t I have this one?” and over the time there will be 2 things can happen. One is this kid will have a mindset of winning and have narcissistic about themselves about being number one, then when they attend a true competition or selective events, they will extremely disappointed and criticize with themselves hardly if they’re not a winner or if this kid is actually a top performance and see what they get is exactly the same with who did not try, they will ask themselves “why I need to work hard while what I…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Do you do things for the fun of it or for a prize? Many kids think they should get a trophy. Parents think otherwise they think getting a trophy is sending the wrong message. Trophies aren’t for everyone and everything, because trophies lose their meaning if everyone gets one, also trophies aren’t effective ways for coaches to bribe the team to do better, and you should do things for fun not for a prize.…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Receiving a participation trophy does not teach kids to accept losing. If a child keeps getting a reward for everything they do they will start to anticipate the awards. The Keller youth association (KYA) from Keller,Texas states ´´ Trophies are something you should strive to earn. Life does not just give you a participation job or medal, life makes you earn everything you get.’ ‘Participation trophies are not sending the right message to kids. Michele Borba an educational psychologist and TODAY contributor said ´´ Kids see through it, they…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When youth athletes receive participation trophies, this does not teach them about the real world and how to deal with it. Kids need to understand the difference between winning and losing, which is a very important life lesson. According to the article "Pros & Cons: A Look Art Participation Trophies For Young Athletes"…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Cardinal Points Article Millennials Unharmed from Trophies by Steve Levy the author writes children should not be given a trophy for nothing, however participating and putting in the work isn’t nothing. I believe that children are rewarded too much without any effort put in, a trophy should be something someone looks back on the rest of their life to remember the effort they put in, not just another participation trophy.…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    \Participation trophies will continue to remain a long debated subject. Supporters of participation trophies will continue to argue that they promote kids to try to improve themselves. Critics will argue that they harm a child's work ethic, and lie to them about what the real world is like. There is only one thing for sure about this debate: I won't get a participation trophy for this…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Competition can help kids learn how to win and lose gracefully. Many people believe that competition is good for kids and some people have even written books about what they think about competition. According to Po Bronson, author of book Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, “If kids don’t learn to lose they’re going to feel entitled to win,” said Bronson. “They’re also going to make a connection that fear of losing is going to prevent them from taking the risk in the first place. And what kids do need to learn is losing is not that big a deal. They need to learn to lose and go ‘Oh, whatever,’ and move on and keep playing.(“Why Competition Can Be Healthy”). If kids learned how to win and lose gracefully, then there probably wouldn’t…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lastly, these trophies can put people down. When children that understand the whole participation concept receive these trophies, they think they are among many others who just showed up. They will eventually think they aren’t good enough. Instead of the trophies, why not just give them a very important speech that will help them become greater at a specific event? I believe that coaches and adults of higher authority can make kids successful by teaching them, rather than awarding…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What goes through a child’s mind when they receive a trophy? Is it how hard they worked to be recognized or that they are just being a part of a group? In society there is an arising opinion that not all children participating in activities should receive a trophy. According to Reasons-Rupe Poll, “57 percent of Americans say only winning, and deserving kids should receive awards. Another 40 percent say all kids on a sports team should receive a trophy for their participation” (Ekins). These views are a result of many children showing a feeling of entitlement, an increased cost of programs, and lack of ambition.…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They influence kids to always expect to be awarded without putting in work, and do not prepare kids for the realistic harshness that comes in the adult world. Participation achievements also downplay the concept of competing as a whole, and merely take up space in cramped garages rather than being admired. Society needs to stop giving children false positive reinforcement, and start giving them the push they need to become resilient workers with a strong growth…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays