Trey clarke
The Trophy Problem
Today, in any sports facility across the country, you are almost guaranteed to find some kind of trophy available for young athletes at the end of the season. One of the most recognizable trophies and awards is the participation trophy, which signifies to children that they tried hard, regardless of whether they won or lost the competition. The participation trophy culture has become popular among most parents and coaches, as no one wants to see a child fail or feel like they lost. As a result, giving them a trophy despite their subpar performances seems like an appropriate strategy to continue encouraging children to participate and to become excited about their sport. However, in reality, this strategy is doing far more damage than people realize. Participation trophies, despite their good intentions, are actively working against the healthy development of our youth.
Most people would be hard-pressed to imagine how something as simple as a trophy given to a child could have such a negative impact on them. To understand this argument, it is critical first to understand how this movement of participation trophies began in the first place. The participation trophy movement has been around since 1980 or 1990; however, in the 1980s and 1990s, several studies demonstrated that improving a child's self-esteem could improve their academic performance. However, this self-esteem-based parenting led to a generation of overly guarded children, as they were afraid to experience failure for fear of not feeling good about themselves (Schinske and Tanner, 2014). More than likely, the influence that this era produced contributed significantly to the rise of participation trophies as children did not want to fail, so educators and coaches made it easier for them. However, it was found that this practice did not have the desired effect. Instead, it produced children who struggled when placed in real-world situations with challenges that they had to overcome.
Participation trophies were a poor incentive to encourage children; however, this argument becomes even more critical when people examine how these awards can be damaging for motivation. Motivation's purpose is to inspire people to work hard, but more importantly, their own motivation and intrinsic desire to succeed push people to keep doing better. Studies on motivational psychology demonstrate that adding awards diminishes motivation from within. With motivation from within-otherwise known as intrinsic motivation-people can push themselves to continue working hard to improve their skills. Unfortunately, when given rewards regardless of results, athletes will begin associating their reward with the activity rather than the satisfaction of performing (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Matthew Williams says it best: "Overprotective parents have used these awards to ensure their child doesn't have to endure the pain of losing. They are taking away the internal motivation by saying, 'it's okay you didn't lose; you gave it your best'" (Williams, 2015). What Williams said may seem harsh for some people, but it is crucial to note the importance of those words. With participation trophies, children are never losing - they're essentially always winning. But if they are always winning, it's not a win; it's a lie. Children will realize this at an alarmingly young age.
Children are more resilient than people once believed. However, the overprotection of parents does more harm than good. As somebody who has played competitive sports from nine years old through college, I know this to be true. Every win was fun; every loss was an opportunity for growth. I looked forward to proving myself after every loss I experienced in any sport. Had I been handed a trophy to make me feel better, I would not be where I was today. Would I have been successful without such a competitive nature? Perhaps. However, I do know that my experience with failure significantly propelled my growth. And to strip children of that opportunity does significant damage to their ability to grow.
Several studies show that children who are praised for their efforts when losing and learning from their failures far outperform those who were never given opportunities to experience them (Dweck, 2006). To support my argument further, it is important to acknowledge those who have faced this and have made statements about losing well before entering competitive fields.
Several famous athletes from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant have spoken about losing and how important it is to learn from your failures in order to find success in their field. As one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan being cut from his varsity high school basketball program was ultimately what paved the way for his basketball career (LaFeber, 1999). And Kobe Bryant wouldn't have been so successful without his own strong work ethic toward embracing failure (Lazenby, 2016). The importance of losing and bettering oneself is a staple for athletes as well as anyone looking for success in their lives. For these athletes to demonstrate such a passion for accepting defeat and learning from it shows just how detrimental this is for young children who are unable to process losing effectively since they were never given the opportunity to practice.
Participation trophies have been found to be an ineffective incentive, but perhaps more importantly, they also harm children because they never learn how to deal with losing when the time comes for them to enter more competitive environments. The mindset behind losing is crucial in life because it sets forth expectations for children and teaches them how to deal with life's hardships. Once children reach middle school and high school where there is much more on the line rather than fun games with friends after school, it puts them at a significant disadvantage.
This poses a significant problem because once children enter adulthood or even college, many people struggle with receiving criticism even when it's meant to build them up or even improve their performance in certain areas in which they might be lacking. Speaking from personal experience in management positions I've held in my career field, this type of behavior "not being able to take criticism" or "not being able to do better" is one of the most common struggles that I see across different fields by younger individuals entering the workforce.
Could this be because they were always told they were doing well no matter what? Could this be because this generation didn't always embrace failure or accept it as an opportunity for growth? Most likely so.
In defense of participation trophies, some could argue that perhaps younger children between the ages of five and eight should receive these trophies because they are still processing their emotions effectively and competing against others in order to cultivate social skills at these early ages.
While it is true that children within this age group do process information differently than adults since they're still developing cognitively (Ames, 1992), I argue there are much better ways to encourage these young children instead of simply handing them a participation trophy.
Recognizing when someone has worked hard but not being synonymous with perfection is one way in which adults should be raising children today in order to prepare them more effectively for real-world competition without failing.
For children to have a realistic mindset about the world around them while still understanding that people appreciate when you put your best effort into something despite the outcome will better prepare them.
Participation trophies may seem like a way for children to celebrate an opportunity for socialization or physical activity (especially among children ages five through eight), but there are much more effective ways in which to encourage these behaviors among children.
Simply enjoying oneself while playing or even celebrating at the end of a season would be enough for most kids instead of simply handing them a trophy regardless if they lost every game.
Some would also argue that studies have shown no correlation between participation trophies and diminishing drive to achieve greater heights in life.
However, these studies most likely examined the short-term effects rather than long-term effects.
Long-term effects pose a much larger problem with people's mindsets when challenged. At least according to these psychologists, this is true, and with the anecdotal experiences of those who encountered success like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, it is also evident that defeating losing as an obstacle sets a person up for long-term success. Participation trophies have been around for too long so therefore, it is time that we call them out for what they truly are. If anything, participation trophies should have already been dealt with; if not, then there is no question as to why people don't like them.
Supporting positive growth with effective communication will encourage emotional development rather than simply handing someone a trophy and telling them they did well enough. This type of support will foster the desire for people to continue bettering themselves rather than being satisfied with what they have.
It is critical to look deeper into any topic, especially something like participation trophies because many will find that there is a generalized level of criticism due to an overlook of issues like child development but also understanding that not enough context has been provided behind whether or not children understand competing at certain levels.
I believe even though children within certain age groups don't respond well or process these situations differently than adults could today, participation trophies ultimately strip them of being able to understand the real emotions that they should feel instead of avoided ones that could potentially make them feel uncomfortable. By allowing children and even adults alike to learn through failure as well as develop emotionally over time when situations don't go well or results aren't what we expect them to be encourages the healthy development rather than unhealthy avoidance.
Beyond the symbolism of the trophy itself is another broader message embedded within the participation trophy that cannot be ignored. By giving every child the same award regardless of the effort, dedication, and improvement that they may have exhibited during that season, we are sending the message to the children that standing out from the others is not to be desired. Dweck's research into mindsets explicitly stated that children do best in environments where they are made aware that their abilities can be developed and improved upon with the right kind of effort (Dweck, 2006). Such a mindset only forms if the children feel as if there has been a difference between their skills prior to the season versus their skills throughout the current season. As such, awarding every child the same trophy on day one of the sports season for each particular sport fails to recognize this development and skill improvement that could have otherwise been made visible through the award. Children know of this lacking message for skill improvement and recognition of effort and dedication. Instead, children need to be recognized for their efforts towards their improvements in the sport, as this type of recognition will lend to their self-worth - the same self-worth that participation trophies were attempting to manufacture for each sport team member. Thus, self-esteem cannot be given to a child on a winning day in a plastic bag. Self-esteem is created through challenges, failures, successes, and effort to attain those successes - and that is something that must be provided to each child to build their own sense of self-worth.
In the end, participation trophies ultimately cause more harm than good yet only because our generation has continued this practice without understanding why it's so crucial to give these children awards for a job well done but also foster an environment in which they can receive appropriate and necessary criticism. Children are capable of more than we all give them credit for despite us all believing that children are not able to handle life's challenges until they're ready for the world outside our safe spaces. Ultimately though, learning early how to lose as well as how to handle defeat makes them more resilient individuals later on. This means kids should get less plastic trophies and more challenging experiences outside so we can set them up for success rather than continue shielding them from challenges at our own detriment.
Works Cited
The Trophy Problem
Today, in any sports facility across the country, you are almost guaranteed to find some kind of trophy available for young athletes at the end of the season. One of the most recognizable trophies and awards is the participation trophy, which signifies to children that they tried hard, regardless of whether they won or lost the competition. The participation trophy culture has become popular among most parents and coaches, as no one wants to see a child fail or feel like they lost. As a result, giving them a trophy despite their subpar performances seems like an appropriate strategy to continue encouraging children to participate and to become excited about their sport. However, in reality, this strategy is doing far more damage than people realize. Participation trophies, despite their good intentions, are actively working against the healthy development of our youth.
Most people would be hard-pressed to imagine how something as simple as a trophy given to a child could have such a negative impact on them. To understand this argument, it is critical first to understand how this movement of participation trophies began in the first place. The participation trophy movement has been around since 1980 or 1990; however, in the 1980s and 1990s, several studies demonstrated that improving a child's self-esteem could improve their academic performance. However, this self-esteem-based parenting led to a generation of overly guarded children, as they were afraid to experience failure for fear of not feeling good about themselves (Schinske and Tanner, 2014). More than likely, the influence that this era produced contributed significantly to the rise of participation trophies as children did not want to fail, so educators and coaches made it easier for them. However, it was found that this practice did not have the desired effect. Instead, it produced children who struggled when placed in real-world situations with challenges that they had to overcome.
Participation trophies were a poor incentive to encourage children; however, this argument becomes even more critical when people examine how these awards can be damaging for motivation. Motivation's purpose is to inspire people to work hard, but more importantly, their own motivation and intrinsic desire to succeed push people to keep doing better. Studies on motivational psychology demonstrate that adding awards diminishes motivation from within. With motivation from within-otherwise known as intrinsic motivation-people can push themselves to continue working hard to improve their skills. Unfortunately, when given rewards regardless of results, athletes will begin associating their reward with the activity rather than the satisfaction of performing (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Matthew Williams says it best: "Overprotective parents have used these awards to ensure their child doesn't have to endure the pain of losing. They are taking away the internal motivation by saying, 'it's okay you didn't lose; you gave it your best'" (Williams, 2015). What Williams said may seem harsh for some people, but it is crucial to note the importance of those words. With participation trophies, children are never losing - they're essentially always winning. But if they are always winning, it's not a win; it's a lie. Children will realize this at an alarmingly young age.
Children are more resilient than people once believed. However, the overprotection of parents does more harm than good. As somebody who has played competitive sports from nine years old through college, I know this to be true. Every win was fun; every loss was an opportunity for growth. I looked forward to proving myself after every loss I experienced in any sport. Had I been handed a trophy to make me feel better, I would not be where I was today. Would I have been successful without such a competitive nature? Perhaps. However, I do know that my experience with failure significantly propelled my growth. And to strip children of that opportunity does significant damage to their ability to grow.
Several studies show that children who are praised for their efforts when losing and learning from their failures far outperform those who were never given opportunities to experience them (Dweck, 2006). To support my argument further, it is important to acknowledge those who have faced this and have made statements about losing well before entering competitive fields.
Several famous athletes from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant have spoken about losing and how important it is to learn from your failures in order to find success in their field. As one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan being cut from his varsity high school basketball program was ultimately what paved the way for his basketball career (LaFeber, 1999). And Kobe Bryant wouldn't have been so successful without his own strong work ethic toward embracing failure (Lazenby, 2016). The importance of losing and bettering oneself is a staple for athletes as well as anyone looking for success in their lives. For these athletes to demonstrate such a passion for accepting defeat and learning from it shows just how detrimental this is for young children who are unable to process losing effectively since they were never given the opportunity to practice.
Participation trophies have been found to be an ineffective incentive, but perhaps more importantly, they also harm children because they never learn how to deal with losing when the time comes for them to enter more competitive environments. The mindset behind losing is crucial in life because it sets forth expectations for children and teaches them how to deal with life's hardships. Once children reach middle school and high school where there is much more on the line rather than fun games with friends after school, it puts them at a significant disadvantage.
This poses a significant problem because once children enter adulthood or even college, many people struggle with receiving criticism even when it's meant to build them up or even improve their performance in certain areas in which they might be lacking. Speaking from personal experience in management positions I've held in my career field, this type of behavior "not being able to take criticism" or "not being able to do better" is one of the most common struggles that I see across different fields by younger individuals entering the workforce.
Could this be because they were always told they were doing well no matter what? Could this be because this generation didn't always embrace failure or accept it as an opportunity for growth? Most likely so.
In defense of participation trophies, some could argue that perhaps younger children between the ages of five and eight should receive these trophies because they are still processing their emotions effectively and competing against others in order to cultivate social skills at these early ages.
While it is true that children within this age group do process information differently than adults since they're still developing cognitively (Ames, 1992), I argue there are much better ways to encourage these young children instead of simply handing them a participation trophy.
Recognizing when someone has worked hard but not being synonymous with perfection is one way in which adults should be raising children today in order to prepare them more effectively for real-world competition without failing.
For children to have a realistic mindset about the world around them while still understanding that people appreciate when you put your best effort into something despite the outcome will better prepare them.
Participation trophies may seem like a way for children to celebrate an opportunity for socialization or physical activity (especially among children ages five through eight), but there are much more effective ways in which to encourage these behaviors among children.
Simply enjoying oneself while playing or even celebrating at the end of a season would be enough for most kids instead of simply handing them a trophy regardless if they lost every game.
Some would also argue that studies have shown no correlation between participation trophies and diminishing drive to achieve greater heights in life.
However, these studies most likely examined the short-term effects rather than long-term effects.
Long-term effects pose a much larger problem with people's mindsets when challenged. At least according to these psychologists, this is true, and with the anecdotal experiences of those who encountered success like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, it is also evident that defeating losing as an obstacle sets a person up for long-term success. Participation trophies have been around for too long so therefore, it is time that we call them out for what they truly are. If anything, participation trophies should have already been dealt with; if not, then there is no question as to why people don't like them.
Supporting positive growth with effective communication will encourage emotional development rather than simply handing someone a trophy and telling them they did well enough. This type of support will foster the desire for people to continue bettering themselves rather than being satisfied with what they have.
It is critical to look deeper into any topic, especially something like participation trophies because many will find that there is a generalized level of criticism due to an overlook of issues like child development but also understanding that not enough context has been provided behind whether or not children understand competing at certain levels.
I believe even though children within certain age groups don't respond well or process these situations differently than adults could today, participation trophies ultimately strip them of being able to understand the real emotions that they should feel instead of avoided ones that could potentially make them feel uncomfortable. By allowing children and even adults alike to learn through failure as well as develop emotionally over time when situations don't go well or results aren't what we expect them to be encourages the healthy development rather than unhealthy avoidance.
Beyond the symbolism of the trophy itself is another broader message embedded within the participation trophy that cannot be ignored. By giving every child the same award regardless of the effort, dedication, and improvement that they may have exhibited during that season, we are sending the message to the children that standing out from the others is not to be desired. Dweck's research into mindsets explicitly stated that children do best in environments where they are made aware that their abilities can be developed and improved upon with the right kind of effort (Dweck, 2006). Such a mindset only forms if the children feel as if there has been a difference between their skills prior to the season versus their skills throughout the current season. As such, awarding every child the same trophy on day one of the sports season for each particular sport fails to recognize this development and skill improvement that could have otherwise been made visible through the award. Children know of this lacking message for skill improvement and recognition of effort and dedication. Instead, children need to be recognized for their efforts towards their improvements in the sport, as this type of recognition will lend to their self-worth - the same self-worth that participation trophies were attempting to manufacture for each sport team member. Thus, self-esteem cannot be given to a child on a winning day in a plastic bag. Self-esteem is created through challenges, failures, successes, and effort to attain those successes - and that is something that must be provided to each child to build their own sense of self-worth.
In the end, participation trophies ultimately cause more harm than good yet only because our generation has continued this practice without understanding why it's so crucial to give these children awards for a job well done but also foster an environment in which they can receive appropriate and necessary criticism. Children are capable of more than we all give them credit for despite us all believing that children are not able to handle life's challenges until they're ready for the world outside our safe spaces. Ultimately though, learning early how to lose as well as how to handle defeat makes them more resilient individuals later on. This means kids should get less plastic trophies and more challenging experiences outside so we can set them up for success rather than continue shielding them from challenges at our own detriment.
Works Cited
