Sports Is Not Having Winners And Losers

If children follow the example set by today's athletes, the definition would equal a sore loser. High school sports should be a fun way to physically express yourself as an athlete, but at the same time learn some of life's lessons, like sportsmanship, discipline, and respect. In today's society, winning comes before everything, but if winning requires neglect of good sportsmanship, then nothing is gained in the long run.

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.

Our society has shifted its beliefs in how we should treat competition in young people. The concept that "everyone receives a trophy" has taken the place of only rewarding those who achieve excellence within that activity. Rewarding all participants in youth activities and sports has become standard practice in American culture. "Should kids get a trophy for participation?" or should only the achievers receive a trophy? In the following essay it will explore the idea that everyone should win from participating and get an achievement for being there.

Athletes get trophies and there is a debate over whether athletes should get trophies for participation or for winning. All trophies do is sit there and collect dust. Participation trophies just remind people of how terrible they did that year or season. Participation trophies are stupid because the professional sports committee agrees, because of how it makes kids want to only play for the trophies and because they are unnecessary and pointless.

As Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”(“Stutman”). Losing is tough for a child at a young age, especially when the losses are simultaneous piling up. A trophy would then be a reminder that they worked hard throughout the season with their teammates. “Being there for your teammates and those in your life, when it suits you or when Saturday morning cartoons look like a lot more fun, is a lifelong lesson that cannot be taught to young” (“Heffernan”). 57% of American children claim that they deserve a trophy after they participate in a team sport, after all, it is the children that are playing (Hill). It’s something they can show other people; therefore, it creates awareness of a skill or attribute, an activity that they have accomplished. By giving children trophies, they often get the message that they are accountable and feel proud of their

Over 36,000,000 kids are active in organized youth sports each year, with 90% of kids preferring to be on a losing team if they could play rather than warm the bench on a winning team. This statistic is shocking because it shows that kids do not really care about winning or losing, but rather how much “playing time” they get, bringing up the question, should all youth receive trophies for participating in sports? Ashley Merryman, author of “Forget Trophies, Let Kids Know It's O.K. To Lose.” and Parker Abate, author “In Youth Sports, Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message” both attempt to evoke the emotions of the pros and cons of youth receiving participation trophies in their pieces, but because Merryman also justifies how gaining trophies can falsely show the idea of working hard, she displays the sounder argument.

Participation trophies are not good for athletes. It has been acknowledged, “But it’s not just the “losers” we need to worry about; it’s the “winners” too. Phrases like “You’re a winner” or “You’re a natural” can actually be toxic to how kids deal with losing” (Fader). If young athletes get used to winning all of their childhood when they lose the children will not be able to cope with the feeling of defeat. If children earn their awards through competition, they will want to keep winning and work harder, which will develop a great work ethic. Long time coaches know what it takes to win: “I coach tons of world-class athletes, and the pride they feel from a big win does not come from a ring, or a trophy, and it does not come from someone

Sports for young kids are very fun and active so you all can get a trophy and be active but It is one of the worst thing you could do. Some people think you should get a participation trophy and other people think you should not get a participation trophy for losing. I think you should not get a participation for losing because one thing it will cost a lot of money to buy all the trophy and you should try to win and get first or second so you can get a trophy like a champion ship or get a runner up trophy.

Now I'm sure that some might say that athletic teams were developed in order to create opportunities for recreational fun, not concerning with winning or losing. From a personal standpoint, I get out on the field to win, not to lose. If I do lose, it only makes me more determined to win the next time. To some of us, playing the game isn’t only about fun; it’s about winning. If you can accomplish winning and having fun at the same time, that’s wonderful. But if you ask me, I’d rather win.

Only the kids who actually win deserve to be recognized for their hard work that paid off in the end. “The benefit isn’t actually winning. The benefit is improving. When you’re constantly giving a kid a trophy for everything they 're doing, you’re saying, ‘I don 't care about improvements’” (Participation trophies reward mediocrity 2). This conveys the idea that when a child is constantly being praised they think they have no more room for improvement and are the best they could be. Although, there is always room for developing as an athlete to become a higher level sportsman. In general, participation trophies hurt kids more than they help them and are ineffective ways to reward kids.

No one really likes to feel defeated and it is in those times that we may think we want a participation award. Some think that the award will take away the sting. Unfortunately, it is through feeling that sting that we truly understand the sweet feeling of winning. It is only with feeling the exact opposite that we can learn and appreciate what a win is really like. Likewise, it is only when we understand losing that we can feel compassion for those that do not win. An attribute that can also come about is learning to be a good sport in times that we fail to

Our young athletes get a shiny plastic pacifier every time they cry. We reward trophies to kids because their parents can drive them to multiple practices and games. Even if they never win or are the worst on the team, they are rewarded. Due to all of this, there is no reason to try to do better and they stop trying. Participation trophies are detrimental to children because they cost the coaches and parents a lot of money, make children forget how to accept loss, and we kill the drive for the players.

They have been blamed for children not working hard to receive a prize for their hard work on the playing field because children know no matter how much effort they put into the sport there will always be a reward. Sports are a great example of earning things for hard work. The children participating in sports need to work hard then be rewarded. “The hard work shows the children how to build a work ethic and it also teaches them that later in life they’ll receive a prize for their hard work” (Jacobi). Building a work ethic is important at a young age, it sculpts the children into the people they are supposed to be in the future. The real world is difficult. Children need to know, they have to work hard and strive for greatness to be successful. The children need to understand that success will help them in the long run. Participation rewards give children a different outlook of the real world. In everyday life, you work hard to pay bills, and to support your family. In your childhood is when you learn that hard work pays off, “It's understood that parents want their children to succeed, and feel as if they won, but children need to learn that in life things have to be earned and not handed to them” (Johnston). Personally, there should always be a winner or a loser, because when you lose you will work harder to win the next time. Competition in all sports

This side of the argument believes that if children don’t get any award or recognition they will loose their passion for the sport, but my side thinks the opposite. If the child is one of the only people without a trophy they will comeback stronger than ever because they would have something to fight for. According to psychology today, many of the children that are constantly winning the awards and trophies over and over again are becoming more and more selfish about the awards (Website #2). Although, if every person in the competition are earning an award then that is way more selfish kids, oppose to just one or two

“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.