Imagine just showing up for sports practices and their games. You didn’t play at all, just sat on the bench and at the end of this season, you get handed a medal saying “Participation” with a thumbs-up below it. Participation trophies are trophies or awards given to the athletes with the mere purpose of congratulating them on being contributed to the sport. These trophies are more likely given out at the end of the sports season. Although participation trophies create a feeling of victory, simply rewarding children for involvement is wrong because it sets false hope for minimal work, improving in the sport isn’t important, and the lesson gained through losing is lost.
Some will argue that participation trophies make kids work harder; however, these types of rewards set false expectancy for those who show minimum work. For example, Berdan says “We begin to expect awards and praise for just showing up — to class, practice, after-school jobs — leaving us woefully unprepared for reality”. This shows that things aren't just given to people. They have to work hard for them and they definitely won't be handed to them on s silver platter.Showing up doesn't count for work, put in the effort and do your part and maybe you can earn that reward. Just showing up isn't going to cut it when it comes to a job, you show up and work. (Pros And …show more content…
Abrams says in her paper, Why Participation Trophies Must be Eliminated, that kids will just stop trying when they see their friends or teammates getting these trophies, while they ask themselves, “Do I really need to work hard”? Kids will stop trying when people are giving them trophy after trophy with little to no effort. Young athletes will think that “I'm only going to do this sport to get a reward, so why work hard”. All in all the more trophies athletes and participants get the more these trophies lose
Some will argue that participation trophies make kids work harder; however, these types of rewards set false expectancy for those who show minimum work. For example, Berdan says “We begin to expect awards and praise for just showing up — to class, practice, after-school jobs — leaving us woefully unprepared for reality”. This shows that things aren't just given to people. They have to work hard for them and they definitely won't be handed to them on s silver platter.Showing up doesn't count for work, put in the effort and do your part and maybe you can earn that reward. Just showing up isn't going to cut it when it comes to a job, you show up and work. (Pros And …show more content…
Abrams says in her paper, Why Participation Trophies Must be Eliminated, that kids will just stop trying when they see their friends or teammates getting these trophies, while they ask themselves, “Do I really need to work hard”? Kids will stop trying when people are giving them trophy after trophy with little to no effort. Young athletes will think that “I'm only going to do this sport to get a reward, so why work hard”. All in all the more trophies athletes and participants get the more these trophies lose