Just Show Up Trophies Essay

In the article, Class and Cleats: Community College Student Athletes and Academic Success, Horton first examines the statistics of evidence showing college athletes and their underachievement. There are many instances of concern about college athletes and their poor grades having an affect of their athletic responsibilities, though this belief is usually denied due to a student always being a student before anything else. This study researches the idea of the way that college students and college athletes view success. Many college athletes tend to state that success is passing all courses and being more successful in their sport, rather than academics coming first (Horton, 2009).

Parents expect high standards without teaching their children the discipline and effort it takes to achieve their goals. An example of this would be a children’s basketball league. There are a few kids on the team that are terrific at basketball and others that lack the same level of skills, despite this all the kids receive the same award. This causes the kids that are not at the same level as their peers to think that they are the next Michael Jordan and continue to put in the same dismal level of effort and expect accolades. On the other side of the spectrum are the kids that truly do deserve an award, but are put on the same level platform as the kids that are underachievers, this makes the successful children feel like failures and they push themselves even more intensely to try and stand out. The unathletic kids never learn the value of practice and the kids that excel continually set unreasonable expectations for themselves that create a lack of confidence when they are unable to meet those goals. Rewarding all kids on an even platform fabricates a perfect storm of uncertainty and insecurity that never fully

You get last place in your tournament. The coach walks up to you looking disappointed and hands you a trophy. You look down at the trophy confused on how you go it and notice that it reads “participation”, but why hand out a trophy if you didn’t really earn it? A popular issue today is whether or not participation trophies should be given out to young athletes. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this debate, however I believe that it is wrong for these no good trophies to be handed out. Here are some of the reasons on why I believe this.

In an age where everyone is expected to be recognized, there must be an understanding that the world does not progress by congratulating the “average.” I believe that giving participation trophies makes people stop competing; especially if the trophies are given at a very early age. For example, a team of small children have a terrible baseball season, but it’s okay! Because the coach gives out trophies to everyone. This in turn only teaches the child that no matter how bad life gets, they will always be rewarded. Participation trophies create future generations of entitled adults as seen by today’s generation. We need to reward kids that work hard for what they do for the sake of risk and reward. That is simply how progress is made in society. Yet I agree with one point made by the opposing side. I believe that participation should be recognized sometimes. Participation can teach kids that teamwork matters in every little aspect of society. Participation trophies should be eliminated but participation should still merely just be recognized with a pat on the back as said by Betty Berdan, a high school junior from Connecticut. Participation trophies overall hinder the growing and learning process of kids; whether it is through sports, or any other competitive involvement.

The general argument made by Berdan in her work, “Participation Trophies Send A Dangerous Message,” is that participation awards commemorate individuals for everyone being a winner. More specifically, Berdan argues that distributing participation trophies to all participants diminishes the meaning of the first, second, or third place trophy. She writes, “When awards are handed out like candy to every child who participates, they diminish in value.” In this passage, Berdan is suggesting that rewarding children constantly with a trophy decreases the value of the trophy that the actual winners earned. Personally, I agree with Berdan because I agree with the concept that providing children with constant rewards sends a dangerous message later in life. On the other hand, writer Eric Priceman defends his opinion that these continuous awards are a necessary part of the education process for young children and will benefit them to strive for better. More specifically, Priceman argues that there is a difference between an award and a reward; he states that an award is given for achievement while a reward is given for accomplishment. He writes, “Just syntax maybe, but anyone that has ever achieved at the highest level has had to endure multiple levels of accomplishment first.” In this passage, Priceman is suggesting that people who have reached the highest levels of trophies and medals have also been encouraged along the way with things such as participation awards. He describes the action of distributing participation awards similarly to encouraging phrases that motivate an individual to strive for greatness. Despite his argument, I believe Priceman is wrong because rewarding children with a meaningless trophy or certificate provides no benefit for them in their future. More specifically, I

Each year, thousands of high school student athletes graduate without ever having left their mark on the community. They breeze through these four years of life as if they’re nothing whether they are playing or sitting on the bench. They receive average grades and never find ways to give back to the community that has allowed them to be in the position that they are today. I have always looked at things from a different perspective. I believe student athletes should be a leader to their peers and in their community.

Do you remember what it was once like to win a trophy? Those huge, golden statues that resembled an accomplishment that you completed? How happy you were when you received your very own trophy too? Everyone should be able to recall when you were once rewarded for any outstanding achievement that they've done. What if I told you, however, that the trophy you received when you were a child wasn't so special? That it was, in fact, a participation trophy, and every other child got one. Would it be so special now? That's the problem that kids are facing now with participation trophy's, due to its lack of being "one of a kind". I believe that because of its lack of being unique, a participation trophy shouldn't be required to be given out at our

Should everyone get a trophy? I do not think that youth sports athletes should receive participation trophies at all. Many people believe it is worth a buck to give a child a smile but, I do not. I do not think everyone should receive a trophy because it waste good money from the organization. If children just receive trophies for trying their hardest they are not going to try any harder the next year and their best may not be good enough. On the other hand coaches and parents believe that youth athletes should be rewarded for their hard work. Participation trophies are unnecessary because youth athletes play to win not just to receive a trophy they didn’t earn.

Athletic programs in college have grown tremendously since they first began years ago, and now some believe that collegiate athletics have no place in higher education. Contrary to this, if one takes a closer look they see that college athletics do play a valuable role in higher education and should continue to play a part in the college experience. Students who participate in college athletics help carry out their school’s traditions, and by competing at such a high level they have the chance to put their school on the map. While competing, these people handle the load of a full-time college student and learn to be responsible and reliable. Some see college athletics as just a business, but truly they provide an opportunity for young adults to compete in the sport that they love, while getting an education and learning lessons that will last a lifetime.

Throughout my high school athletic career, playing both football and running cross country, i’ve witnessed multiple teammates of mine receive scholarships to continue their athletic and academic careers at a university. However due to the disproportionate number of hours spent on the sport rather than academics without receiving compensation is causing many high school athletes to turn down athletic scholarships and instead begin to focus on their academic futures.

“Sending him home empty-handed at the end of a hard-fought season won’t help him learn the lesson of losing, it will teach him early that there’s no value in the attempt” (Zadrozny). Prizes such as trophies and ribbons are a controversial topic in society. Some believe that not enough are handed out to children while others believe that too many are handed out. Trophies are a symbol of victory and triumph, but do not forget that children just want to feel part of a team even though they are not good enough. Putting forth an honest effort is important, and doing well is the habit on which they will be repeatedly evaluated in life. Even though some believe trophies are not good, they give a boost of confidence while keeping children happy and

If young kids get a trophy for every year that they play a sport and don’t win, they begin to think they are entitled to get a trophy. “Everything in life should be earned”, says James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kids just need to learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, that is just how the world works. “They don’t let kids pass classes for just showing up”, says Kurt Warner, former NFL star. The fact is that sometimes your best just is not enough. Life will not give you a trophy for just trying (Website #2).

Participation trophies teach kids bad life lessons. They introduce the wrong idea at a young age that you can just show up and still be rewarded for minimal effort. If someone joins a sport they are expected to try their best and should be rewarded for doing so. When they are not then there is no point in even participating. Kurt Warner was quoted saying ‘ “ They don’t let kids pass classes 4 just showing up ” ‘ (Wallace). later in life people aren’t rewarded for showing up, and teaching something that is not true at such

High school athletes need to be students, and perhaps more difficult need to balance the social life of a teenager. It is stressful at times, but the stress melts away when you're standing at the top of the podium, realizing that everything you've done for this sport has paid off. And past the podiums and the medals you become even more proud when you're standing on the stage of your university accepting your degree and starting a new chapter of life, ready to take on the world. Athletes know what it means to work hard to become the best, and when it comes time to hang up the sports equipment and move on to the real world, athletes will have the resolve to do what is necessary. Because in the end it’s not going to be about the accolades but instead about the time you put into the things that matter. And when you grow up working hard, and develop that great habit of putting everything you have towards your goals, then reaching out towards then won't seem so

In life there is a competition happening for who gets what job, and your best won’t be good enough. You have to fight in order to get praise and awards, otherwise it’s just pointless when someone does a terrible job and yet still receives a trophy. You need to work above your best and go to your excellence to get what you want and not do the minimal work that is necessary in a project. Life is full of wins and losses, and if children aren’t aware of this sooner in life, they aren’t going to be prepared for reality. Jones acknowledges this in her article by saying, “You learn that losing hurts -- even in T-ball - but it is an essential part of living a meaningful