Youth Athletes Should Not Be Allowed In Sports Research Paper

Imagine, if you were the star player and worked every game, got the same amount of appreciation or the same reward as the player who has sat the bench basically the whole season. Doesn't sound too fair, right ? According to the "Trophies for All" policy, youth athletes are being awarded with participation trophies. Handing out trophies for just showing up doesn't teach the kids about the real world. As well, trophies can lose their meaning if everyone gets one. Finally, participation trophies use thousands of dollars that can be useful for other important needs. On the other hand, some people believe that rewarding youth athletes (that don't participate) with a trophy is acceptable. Even more, every child should get an equal amount of appreciation.Youth athletes get rewarded with participation trophies for simple matters and this is unacceptable.

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"
by Travis Armideo, it can teach anyone, no matter what age, about how to deal with and overcome opposition. Many need to understand that you can't always get what you want in life. Yes, these are just kids, but in these scenarios, it would give them a better outlook and grow up to be smarter and make good decisions. Especially, when it comes to overcoming certain things like receiving a reward for something they weren't totally involved in.

Youth athletes receiving participation trophies not only does not teach them about dealing with the real world, but when EVERY kid gets one, the 'trophies' can lose their true meaning. Giving a trophy to each kid on the team seems fair but really isn't. According to the article "The Great Trophy Debate: Do We Need Participation Awards?" By John O' Sullivan, a participation trophy isn't a great way for coaches to motivate their players. Kids may appreciate their trophies but do most of them actually deserve one ? For example, would you give a student an A for just showing up to class? Of course not. That student has to do their work in order to get that A they deserve. Same thing for youth athletes. Therefore, the actual trophy is losing its true meaning or 'rewarding' the ones who really deserve it.

Finally, handing out participation trophies yearly can cost up to thousands of dollars that can be useful for other many things.
According to the article "The Great Trophy Debate: Do We Need Participation Awards" By John O' Sullivan, instead of trophies, the money can go to something more useful like new equipment, giving kids more chances to play on the fields, coaches better coaching educations, or even scholarships. Before paying all of that money for a simple trophy or ribbon, put every kid on the field with a coach that'll guarantee a fantastic time. To add to, coaches (to guarantee a child's happiness on the field) need education to be better at what they are doing. It helps if the coaches can be happy and have a good time with the players to make them feel the same with the
coach.

While some people claim youth athletes don't deserve a trophy if they didn't work hard for it, some say it shouldn't matter because they are kids and all deserve one. Knowing that have done good by being rewarded by a trophy, it helps boost their confidence about playing sports. Also, a child so young can lose interest easily if they feel or know they aren't winning. When a youth athlete receives a trophy or some type of recognition, it lets them know that they did their best, even if they barely played. Despite, not everyone is a winner. Not every youth athlete should get a trophy when the season ends. Therefore, participation trophies given to youth athletes isn't the best decision and many agree.

To conclude, many young children that play sports and receive a participation trophy isn't acceptable. It can be destructive to the child's future and even the league. Participation trophies do not teach kids about the real world. Also, the trophy itself can lose its special meaning. Lastly, the trophies can use thousands of dollars that can go to something more meaningful. Many agree that this isn't a good idea, but also, many disagree with this idea. These youth athletes can be put at better use for their own benefits and even their future.