Hugh Kennedy

Mrs. Cramer

Comp. 1 Pd. 8

1 February 2019

Participate to earn Participation

If one was to ask a crowd of people if they have ever received a participation trophy, a

large majority of them would answer yes, and one can almost guarantee if someone were on a

youth sports team sometime throughout their childhood, their answer would be yes as well. Most

children have had some sort of experience with participation trophies, and that might not be for

the better. Participation trophies should be eliminated from youth sport programs and all
1
institutions because they deliver false hope of accomplishment and provide an unrealistic

expectation of life for children1 who receive them.

First of all, participation trophies should not be awarded because they give false hope of

accomplishment to the recipient. Generally, when anyone receives an award, they get it because

they accomplished something, but when a participation trophy is awarded it is basically a

placeholder for achievement. “Having a child “earn” a participation trophy is the equivalent of

giving your dog a treat when it listens to you. The dog listening is no extreme feat of talent, but

you reward it anyways.”(Donaldson) This could be a potential threat to a child’s mental health

because their brain is still developing, and they don’t fully understand why they are being

awarded but they feel accomplished, even though in the grand scheme of things, they haven’t

1 Diction – My specific word choice helped give a more professional mindset of my paper.
done anything of significance. Would someone want their child to experience 2 that false

knowledge? That is how participation trophies grant false hope of accomplishment.

Now, supporters of an opposite opinion could argue that participation trophies are a

positive concept because they allow the recipient to possess a positive memory from them

receiving a reward. This statement may be true for some individuals who do not understand the

meaning of a participation trophy, which is to exclaim congratulations to the receiver even if

they did not make an impact on the achieved task, but to many, including myself, this statement

is false. When one would think back to almost any award, they may have received throughout

their lifetime so far, that someone would be able to pin a certain event or memory to that trophy

because they know that it was some sort of accomplishment. When they attempt to think of a

positive memory referencing to a participation trophy, they can’t manage to remind themselves

of whatever accomplishment that award was supposed to simulate. That is why the statement of a

positive memory stemming from a participation trophy is a false statement.

Thirdly, participation trophies should not be awarded because they provide an unrealistic

expectation of life for children and those experiencing youth sports. More than not, a child’s

mind is not as developed as an adult. “This allows children to learn and experience more that can

deeply influence them.”(Kimberley) For example, theoretically, if a participation trophy was

awarded in a youth sports league where the recipients only showed up to less than a quarter of

practices or games, these “athletes” could think that they are able to receive recognition of an

award with even the littlest of effort put into the activity. 3This opens the door for learning

ailments such as procrastination and even as simple as not putting in effort to take place. These

2 Rhetorical Question- The use of this question with no answer help make the statement and in turn, the paper,
feel more personal to the reader.
3 Zeugma- The use of zeugma gives emphasis to the impact of certain events actions.
mindsets can occur because of the thought process that they will be rewarded without them

having to put in effort to necessarily deserve the award.

Finally, some would say that participation trophies are a good thing because they help

give the recipient motivation when they have been awarded them. When participation trophies

are awarded, they provide the recipient with the idea of accomplishment. But like discussed in

the previous paragraph, this can give the recipient the idea of not having to need to put in work.

Just like the counter argument established earlier, this statement of “they give the participants

motivation” is false. “The participants do not gain motivation because they feel there is no actual

need to put in overwhelming effort when they are able to be rewarded if they only pitch in their

minimum effort.”(Emylee) That is how participation trophies do not actually provide the

recipients with motivation.

Participation trophies are a negative thing because they give the recipient a false hope of

accomplishment and provide children with an unrealistic expectation on life. The fact that both

attempted rebuttals throughout this essay were simply and easily disproven and that the two

additional aspects that were written in detail support the established argument even more

supports the original statement and purpose of this essay. Participation trophies should and must

be eliminated.
 Works Cited

Donaldson, Sarah J., and Kevin R. Ronan. "The Effects of Sports Participation on

Young Adolescents Emotional Well-Being." Adolescence, vol. 41, no. 162, pp.

369-89. Adolescence, vol. 41, no. 162, pp. 369-89. Abstract. Print.

Emylee Anderson, Aaron A. Buchko, Kathleen J. Buchko, (2016) "Giving negative feedback to

Millennials: How can managers criticize the “most praised” generation" Abstract.

Management Research Review, Vol. 39 Issue: 6, pp.692-705, Print.

Kimberley A. Klint, Maureen R. Weiss. “Perceived Competence and Motives for Participating in

Youth Sports: A Test of Harter's Competence Motivation Theory.” Abstract. Human

Kinetics Journal (1987) Print.