We Can’t All Be Winners In the Real World:

An Argument Piece on the Dangers of Participation Trophies

Do participation trophies show signs of danger for today’s youth? Are levels of narcissism increased in children who receive participation trophies? Is this a bigger issue than just parenting style? Are rewards for just showing up enabling our youth or harming them? In today’s society, we can’t all be winners, therefore we shouldn’t teach our kids this. Participation trophies should become a thing of the past because of increase in undesirable traits, dreaded lesson that winning is everything, and little room that allows for failure and mistakes that ultimately drive improvement.

 

It’s the end of the season, your team didn’t win a single game, but you still all line up on the field and wait for your name to be called. Your name is shouted, you run up to our coach with joy as he hands you a gold piece of plastic labeled “Participation Award.” You go home and put it on the shelf next to the 10 other pieces of plastic that all say the same thing. Shouldn’t awards symbolize accomplishment? Is showing up something to be celebrated? Do participation trophies show signs of danger for today’s youth? Is this a bigger issue than just difference in parenting style? Are participation trophies enabling our youth or harming them? In the real world, you don’t get a promotion for just showing up to the office, why should we teach our children that simply breathing is enough for an award? In a capitalist society we can’t all be winners, isn’t it wise to prepare our kids for that now? Shouldn’t the value of hard work be taught over the ability to do the bare minimum? It is time for those “trophies” on the shelf to be thrown in the attic to do the only thing they’re good for: collect dust. Participation trophies cause an increase in traits such as narcissism in today’s youth as well as teach the dreaded lesson that winning is everything. These fake awards also leave little room for failure and mistakes in our little one’s lives and it is those very things that ultimately drive change, improvement, and advances. What if Edison has received an award for his first attempt of the light bulb? Perhaps we would still be sitting in the dark.