Imagine you are at your child’s soccer game and they are sitting in the field playing with grass, yet, they receive a trophy. What is that really teaching them? Where there are youth sports, there are participation trophies. Over the years, there has been quite a debate about these materialistic goods. Kids should not receive participation trophies because it gives them the wrong message about making mistakes, it will teach them about success, and make them appreciate the sport itself.
Participation trophies are giving the wrong message to children about losing, and Ashley Merryman, author of the book Nurtureshock: A New Thinking About Children agrees. “If children always receive a trophy — regardless of effort or achievement — we’re teaching …show more content…
Children are playing sports, not because they enjoy it, but because they want the trophy, they want the sparkly object that makes them feel important. But that shouldn’t feel important, they should feel good because they like playing the sport, and they want to get better. “We’re focusing so much on giving kids materialistic rewards that we’re not spending enough time on the real life lessons you learn from sports: success and failure, making choices, teamwork. The whole purpose of youth sports should be to play and have fun. It should be about the experience. That’s the real trophy”(qtd. In Fussell’s article “I showed up! Should kids get trophies just for participating?”). Says sports psychologist Andrew Jacobs. Parents and coaches are so focused on giving kids tangible rewards that they are not even touching upon the life lessons that they learn from sports such as success and failure, decision making, teamwork. They real trophy is having fun and the experience the kids get out of …show more content…
But this is not the case. If Johnny is just sitting in the grass during his soccer game, and Alexander is putting 110% effort to win the game for his team, then why should they get the same award? Is that fair to Alexander? It is your job as a parent to address the fact life is not fair and you need to work for what you want. Participation trophies are sending that opposite message and should not be given out to children. What should really raise their sense of self appreciation is the fact that they know they love the sport, they know they tried their best, and they get praise from the coaches and parents because they both know they did a genuinely good
Participation trophies are giving the wrong message to children about losing, and Ashley Merryman, author of the book Nurtureshock: A New Thinking About Children agrees. “If children always receive a trophy — regardless of effort or achievement — we’re teaching …show more content…
Children are playing sports, not because they enjoy it, but because they want the trophy, they want the sparkly object that makes them feel important. But that shouldn’t feel important, they should feel good because they like playing the sport, and they want to get better. “We’re focusing so much on giving kids materialistic rewards that we’re not spending enough time on the real life lessons you learn from sports: success and failure, making choices, teamwork. The whole purpose of youth sports should be to play and have fun. It should be about the experience. That’s the real trophy”(qtd. In Fussell’s article “I showed up! Should kids get trophies just for participating?”). Says sports psychologist Andrew Jacobs. Parents and coaches are so focused on giving kids tangible rewards that they are not even touching upon the life lessons that they learn from sports such as success and failure, decision making, teamwork. They real trophy is having fun and the experience the kids get out of …show more content…
But this is not the case. If Johnny is just sitting in the grass during his soccer game, and Alexander is putting 110% effort to win the game for his team, then why should they get the same award? Is that fair to Alexander? It is your job as a parent to address the fact life is not fair and you need to work for what you want. Participation trophies are sending that opposite message and should not be given out to children. What should really raise their sense of self appreciation is the fact that they know they love the sport, they know they tried their best, and they get praise from the coaches and parents because they both know they did a genuinely good