Persuasive Essay

In “Losing is Good for You,” Ashley Merryman argues that society should stop handing out trophies for participation and instead let your child loose sometimes. Merryman states, “today, participation trophies and prizes are almost a given, as children are constantly assured that they are winners.” She later goes on and says that children who are given so much praise will crack “at the first experience of difficulty.” In her opinion, she does not believe that every child should be given a trophy because it will affect how they handle a different task. She claims that children would be better off losing than winning, and she also think that children should not get a trophy for everything they compete in.

“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

A person will have to outwork others to beat them. This is why children need to learn the importance of competition. The way the world is structured involves competition everywhere, and without the skill a person will not be on the same level as others. But encouraging children in competitive activities like sports early on with trophies help children benefit. Parker Abate is a sophomore athlete who studies communications at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, has been involved in youth sports since he was five years old, as a player and then as a coach. Abate stated in an article, “Children learn about teamwork, sportsmanship and they learn the importance of exercise in youth sports.” As Abate stated, children learn important things in sports which supports why they should receive participation awards to a certain

Although putting an end to participation awards seems like a better idea, many people argue that trophies encourage kids who aren’t the best athletes to keep playing. However, awards have the opposite effect in reality. Trophies prevent kids from putting any effort into the game. In other words, they will underachieve. Children who participate in sports programs understand they will be rewarded even if they lose miserably. As a result, kids don’t see a valid reason to

Olympic Gold Medalists have said that not getting trophy was a good thing. When they did not get a trophy for participating, it motivated them to work harder to earn one when they win next time. “If children always receive a trophy - regardless of effort or achievement - we’re teaching kids that losing is so terrible that we can never let it happen.”, said New York Times. This means that if they always get a trophy for things they didn’t work hard enough for, they will start expecting a reward for everything they do. From this evidence, you can see that when kids don’t get a trophy when losing a game, it can teach them many

In the last couple years, society has debated if participation trophies are important in a child’s growth and development, or are they a complete waste of time. In today’s society, many children are given a participation trophy for just showing up whether they win or lose or even play. The problem in doing this is, we are giving children the idea that it doesn’t matter if you try or not, you’ll leave with a trophy at the end of the day. Giving kids the idea that they will always get something creates the idea that they will never fail. In the real world they will fail and why not prepare the kids for this experience gradually while they are growing up? Kids need to know that in order to better themselves in work, school, or sports; they need to work hard, try harder, and never give up. There will always be someone better than them, but you want to always strive to do better, to do your best. This topic has become a very fascinating argument in many parent groups. What people need to understand is that it isn’t necessarily the child getting the participation trophy that is the issue. It is the message we give them when we give it to them. Participation trophies have a negative effect on children and handing them out should be stopped. Children can become successful in life with or without the participation trophies being handed out.

The children need to know that doing their absolute best will benefit them in the long run because they’ll receive a reward for all the hard work and dedication that, they put into the activity or sport. “Participation trophies are sugar coating the fact that children did not win at something” (“To Give or not to give participation trophies”). They should not be rewarded for participating and not coming out on top. We set goals to reach them, and be rewarded, we never get anywhere by just participating and not reaching the goals we set. Sports are about learning from mistakes and bettering yourself; for example, in softball, the athlete gets up to bat and the pitcher throws three strikes in a row and they strike out, but when they get back up to hit again they are going to adjust to the pitcher's speed and get a hit the second time around. Children learn from striking out, because making mistakes better them in the long run. If the children are being handed a reward for just participating, they are not learning from their mistakes. Children are not learning from their mistakes; therefore, they are not correcting their mistakes. This generation is learning bad habits at a young age. Parents are not comprehending that a bad work ethic at a young age will only get worse as they get older. For example, if a child scoots by in school and sports with no structure,

In children sports it is common for all children to receive participation trophies whether they win or lose. In life we don’t always win. Children need to learn to fail to be prepared for the failures that happen in life. “It’s through failure and mistakes that we learn the most.” (Merryman). By giving awards to only the children that win, we are teaching them to accept failure.

Next, children need to know that losing is a part of and can’t be avoided. Although, some people may say that kids are gaining self confidence and that participation awards are good for kids, but they are not. Don’t you think that kids would be happier to work hard and get a real trophy instead of being given a consolation prize? By doing that kids will develop a better work ethic which will lead them towards success in life. In conclusion, I believe giving kids trophies makes them weak, but having them earn it makes them strong.

Losing, no one wants to lose no matter what they are doing. If a kid loses then they want to get better and then get the prize but if a kid gets a trophy for no reason then they think that they don’t have to try harder and then faces difficulties in life that they don’t understand. “My children look forward to their trophy as much as playing the game.” (Jean Twenge) if kids think that the trophy has the same amount of importance as the game they shouldn’t play at all.

Theres 5.5 million teenagers that have self-esteem problems. Half of that is due to not getting a participation trophy. Abate states, “Any kind of honor can make a young kid feel as if he or she meant something to the team, and that could boost the child’s self-confidence -- children today need as much of that as they can get in our society.” Awards can really boost their confidence. This society gives them self-esteem problems due to other life challenges. They need more acknowledgment to help them stay positive. “ While not all children will win the championship, working with a group of peers with the goal of succeeding teaches them that in life, teamwork and giving it your all is important”

Some people think that giving children trophies for participation is good for them because it has a positive impact on the kids’ mindset. They say that it motivates children to do better and it makes them feel like they are not compared to children who have more talent. However, this

Furthermore, participation trophies may cause children to encounter crucial self esteem problems and cause children to become selfish. As these participation trophies are being handed out, children may get very depressed that they did not win the game. These children will quit the sport that they are participating in since they believe that they cannot win, and those participation awards will grow into an enormous pile in the corner of their rooms. These prizes may discourage many of these depressed children, which contradicts the main purpose of the prizes. Uniquely, Merryman continues to proclaim “Research has found that kids with low self-esteem believe they can’t live up to their own hype, so they withdraw even further”. It affects children

In Ashley Merryman’s article, “Forget Trophies, Let Kids Know it’s O.K. to Lose,” she claims that children who lose do not deserve participation trophies. She states that children need to know it is alright to fail and make mistakes because that is how they learn lessons the most. She addresses an issue that children need trophies to boost their self-esteem but backs her argument that children either become narcissistic or have even less self-esteem because they believe they can’t live up to their own hype. Merryman declares that the best way for a child to feel self-fulfillment is for them to master a skill and earn the victory

First, I would like to talk about every child being a winner. Whether it’s t-ball or soccer, pitcher or outfielder; every child receives a big, shiny gold medal. We need to give children a chance to lose so that they learn how to overcome loss. Parents feel as though their children need to be reassured that they have done well. While rewards can be short term motivators, constant reassurance can end up backfiring. Children will form big heads and expect to win even when they don’t put in much effort. When they eventually experience failure they will only focus on the flaws because they’ve never been taught that failure is ok. We concentrate so much on performance, competition, and the end result of winning at such a young age that we are taking away the enjoyment of playing for satisfaction. Losing is a learning experience that will reoccur throughout their lives. A true reward is knowing what it’s like to work hard and accomplish your goals; that progress takes time and effort. All of those participation trophies have no meaning to these kids. They notice when other teammates are making all of the goals while they play in the dirt of the outfield. This is why we are recognizing self esteem issues in youth. Those who put in their best effort and receive the same reward as the kid who did nothing will no longer do their best. As well as if they receive a trophy for just being on