Trophies for all kids participating? Or just for the winners?

[Lennys Tap]

#1 I think examining the psychology of a generation by using the cliche "everybody gets a trophy" is shortsighted. (if that is what we are doing).

#2 For the sake of argument, if we do want to look at the psych and try to make a broad conclusion (again, I don't think it's really accurate), I actually think there should be more participation trophies and awards. There is a TON to be learned by kids having the guts to try new things, even if they aren't good at them.

I think it's a relatively easy decision for a kid who is awesome at soccer to try out for an elite youth club and work his/her tail off to compete. If you are good at something, it's pretty easy to fall in love with it.

A good amount of being successful as a adult is the ability to be flexible and take on tasks you aren't great at or don't know much about. (could be kids, professional assignment, painting your house, etc. ). As an adult, you will always be challenged to step outside your comfort zone.

Give me a kid with a room full of 100 participation trophies for 100 different things. That kid has some guts and isn't afraid to try. I bet that kid will be productive as an adult.

And again, I really don't believe in this type of lame psych. analysis, especially because I'm not terribly bright, so feel free to dismiss me.

Interesting, but I think you miss the point slightly. Sure, give me a kid who tries 100 different things. He inquisitive, he's fearless - but I don't think he's trying those 100 things for the trophy. Actually, very few of the kids are. For most of the kids I've coached self esteem is not a problem. For some of the parents, though, that's a whole other story.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Interesting, but I think you miss the point slightly. Sure, give me a kid who tries 100 different things. He inquisitive, he's fearless - but I don't think he's trying those 100 things for the trophy. Actually, very few of the kids are. For most of the kids I've coached self esteem is not a problem. For some of the parents, though, that's a whole other story.

Totally fair, but can't you say the same for high achievers? Are elite youth soccer players going for trophies? I assume they play because they are good and they like to compete. Trophies are just a byproduct, not the goal, right?

Does anybody consider trophies a motivator?

As far as actually awarding trophies for participating, I don't really care... but I don't like people downplaying what it takes to participate.

Don't underestimate people that are simply brave enough to show up and participate in something new. In the professional world, those people are usually ahead of the curve in my industry. (marketing)

[Galway Eagle]

The problem with the only winners deserve trophies is that it shows the best player on the losing team that no matter how hard he tried he won't succeed and the worst player on the best team that someone will be there to carry them.  I think that all little league sports should essentially be all star teams based on talent so the best players know what their work achieves and we can weed out the awkward ones right away.

[GGGG]

I think that all little league sports should essentially be all star teams based on talent so the best players know what their work achieves and we can weed out the awkward ones right away.

This is kind of a harsh statement.  I mean, what is the purpose of youth sports? 

[Galway Eagle]

This is kind of a harsh statement.  I mean, what is the purpose of youth sports? 

I'll put it in tael when I get home.  But continuing with the sarcasm it teaches that there are winners and losers in life!

[CTWarrior]

I think that all little league sports should essentially be all star teams based on talent so the best players know what their work achieves and we can weed out the awkward ones right away.

Yikes!  We're throwing away little kids ability to play sports right off the bat?  I've coached and coached against plenty of kids who improved a ton from age 5-7 to age 15.  We should not be weeding out any kid who wants to play.  With the right coach, there are all types of valuable life lessons learned by kids of all skill levels.  Teamwork, self-confidence, social skills, working to improve oneself, helping a teammate get better, understanding of the failures of others, supporting one another, tenacity.  Hell, just that it is fun to be outside with other kids and being active.  Striving to win is important, but in youth sports especially it is far from the only thing.  Striving to get better and seeing results is much more important.

The most satisfying feeling in the world is seeing a kid who showed up to the first practice helpless at the sport standing on base after getting a hit with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

Edit:  Never mind.  Didn't see Pipers response above when I posted.

[Galway Eagle]

Yikes!  We're throwing away little kids ability to play sports right off the bat?  I've coached and coached against plenty of kids who improved a ton from age 5-7 to age 15.  We should not be weeding out any kid who wants to play.  With the right coach, there are all types of valuable life lessons learned by kids of all skill levels.  Teamwork, self-confidence, social skills, working to improve oneself, helping a teammate get better, understanding of the failures of others, supporting one another, tenacity.  Hell, just that it is fun to be outside with other kids and being active.  Striving to win is important, but in youth sports especially it is far from the only thing.  Striving to get better and seeing results is much more important.

The most satisfying feeling in the world is seeing a kid who showed up to the first practice helpless at the sport standing on base after getting a hit with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

Haha See my last response

[Lennys Tap]

Totally fair, but can't you say the same for high achievers? Are elite youth soccer players going for trophies? I assume they play because they are good and they like to compete. Trophies are just a byproduct, not the goal, right?

Does anybody consider trophies a motivator?

You can absolutely say the same for high achievers. I guess I misinterpreted your post - thought you were suggesting that trophies somehow were a motivator for kids to try new things. I agree that they're not.

[muwarrior69]

Geesh! Even the Olympics gives out a participation Medal.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

You can absolutely say the same for high achievers. I guess I misinterpreted your post - thought you were suggesting that trophies somehow were a motivator for kids to try new things. I agree that they're not.

Well, if we really think sports are developing a generation of people*, then I'm totally cool giving out participation trophies. I think participation is important and should be recognized.

I know some people think we should only reward the best and the brightest (hooray, 1st place trophies!)... but like I said, I also don't want to discount kids who simply brave enough to try.  

Getting over the fear of failure is a tremendous asset.

If we are rewarding behaviors to develop the next generation, I'll reward a kid trying the unknown every time. That behavior will serve him well.

More to the point:
"That kid is slow, he shouldn't get a trophy!"

Great. Don't give him a trophy. Is the next generation better off now because the 4th place finisher doesn't get trophy for his 2nd grade track meet?

*for clarification, I don't really believe that, but it seems like some people do.

[CTWarrior]

Great. Don't give him a trophy. Is the next generation better off now because the 4th place finisher doesn't get trophy for his 2nd grade track meet?

*for clarification, I don't really believe that, but it seems like some people do.

I'm a conservative, right leaning thinker, and I'm one of the 4 who voted to give every kid a trophy.  Many kids on losing teams play hard and well.  I used to give all my 5 through 8 year olds additional awards based on something they did well.  My philosophy with the younger kids was do what you can to get them to love the game and keep playing, whether it be baseball or basketball.  By the time they hit 9 or 10, they know the score and are more interested in winning and doing well than trophies.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Now we know why you started this leading topic. Should have just posted that in the first place.

I wanted to see how people on this board responded.  The results are overwhelming that not everyone should get the trophies.  I suspect that is because most people on this board are a little older, made some coin, have a good education, so they match the results.

[GGGG]

I wanted to see how people on this board responded.  The results are overwhelming that not everyone should get the trophies.  I suspect that is because most people on this board are a little older, made some coin, have a good education, so they match the results.

But I think that's a good reason to show why this poll is flawed.  When you present that question at face value, and answer the poll, I think a lot of people are going to answer it "only the winners."  (I did this.)

As the discussion evolved though, I have come to the conclusion that this really isn't that big of a deal and can understand the viewpoint of "everyone gets a trophy."

So I am left with not really knowing what it all means.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Agreed.

The charts and graphs are great, but realistically, how many of those people interviewed are approaching the question from a analytical or psychological perspective?

It seems like it's a political terminology, and the answers aligned as such.

Trouble is, it's not a political issue, is it? Youth athletics? Trophies?

It was an interesting bit of data, nothing more and nothing less.  We've had conversations galore on here over the years about when it's appropriate to have a banner, have a trophy, etc, etc.  I'm going through massive data inputs right now on all kinds of things around attitudes and behaviors, mostly around millenials.  This one was rather interesting since we have some millenials on this board as well as a lot of mid age or older folks and tying it in with topics of the past around rewarding achievements...I thought it would be interesting to get folks opinions.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm a conservative, right leaning thinker, and I'm one of the 4 who voted to give every kid a trophy.  Many kids on losing teams play hard and well.  I used to give all my 5 through 8 year olds additional awards based on something they did well.  My philosophy with the younger kids was do what you can to get them to love the game and keep playing, whether it be baseball or basketball.  By the time they hit 9 or 10, they know the score and are more interested in winning and doing well than trophies.

Interesting take.  I recall being 7 or 8 and playing soccer, my team lost the last game of the year to the other undefeated team.  It was a bummer to see those kids get the trophy and we didn't, no runner-up trophies.  Made me want to play that much harder and earn it in future years.  I agree that age has a big part of this.  It's interesting, at my son's level (high school and club), there are some tournaments where they each get a medal just for participating and the kids just junk those.  If they win the tournament or maybe runner-up, it means something and they have a sense of pride and accomplishment, but the participation stuff gets tosses...certificates, medals, etc.  Just doesn't connect at that level.

[Groin_pull]

To the victor goes the spoils. The only participation medals that are worth anything are those for marathons and half marathons. Complete those distances and you've earned a medal...no matter where you finish.

[brandx]

The problem I have with this survey is the phrase "every kid gets a trophy" has become a bit of a loaded political term.

[Jay Bee]

I'm a conservative, right leaning thinker, and I'm one of the 4 who voted to give every kid a trophy.  Many kids on losing teams play hard and well.  I used to give all my 5 through 8 year olds additional awards based on something they did well.  My philosophy with the younger kids was do what you can to get them to love the game and keep playing, whether it be baseball or basketball.  By the time they hit 9 or 10, they know the score and are more interested in winning and doing well than trophies.

Must be poor.

[keefe]

Must be poor.

And uneducated

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

The old generations' participation trophy was a letterman jacket.  Think about it you could have three varsity letters for playing whatever sport on the last place team in the weakest division but you got the same thing on your jacket as the top teams.  The difference now is people want that at every level.  I think participation ribbons are fine.  Trophies are for the first through third places. 

What?

[Galway Eagle]

What?

Point: For old people a particpation trophy was getting your varsity or jv or freshmen letter on your jacket. 

Reasoning: it didn't matter how good you were or whether you won or lost you received the letter for participating on the team

[CTWarrior]

Point: For old people a particpation trophy was getting your varsity or jv or freshmen letter on your jacket. 

Reasoning: it didn't matter how good you were or whether you won or lost you received the letter for participating on the team

In my high school, you didn't get a varsity letter just for being on the team.  You had to be a gametime contributor of some significance.  I played baseball and basketball.  I was end of the bench in both sports for varsity as a soph (just played in basketball garbage time and only got a handful of ABs) but didn't get my varsity letter until I was a junior starter in basketball.  I had already gotten my freshman numerals for playing freshman/JV basketball as a freshman and my JV letter for playing JV baseball as a freshman.  So I got nothing for my participation in basketball or baseball as a soph (where I played just about every minute/inning of the JV games), which I didn't like very much at the time.  Getting those letters (and the subsequent chevrons) was very important to me at the time.

My son went to my high school and played three sports (baseball/cross country/indoor track), but they have apparently done away with the letters system entirely.  It seemed like every kid had one of those jackets when I was in school, whether they had earned anything or not.  I didn't see one kid wearing one in the 4 years he was there.

[MU82]

I have no horse in this race.

As a middle school basketball coach, I don't give trophies to each of my kids. I still choose an MVP and top defensive player, and I explain at the post-season gathering (where awards are presented): "Everybody can't win an award. For most of us, the award is that we get to play a great sport with great teammates at a great school."

Having said that, I have trouble getting worked up at the thought that many organizations do give trophies to everybody. I don't think it has contributed to the ruination of society.

Kids' attitudes are still affected most by their parents, their environment and their peers. Whether or not they got a participation ribbon when they were 11 matters little.

[Lennys Tap]

Point: For old people a particpation trophy was getting your varsity or jv or freshmen letter on your jacket. 

Reasoning: it didn't matter how good you were or whether you won or lost you received the letter for participating on the team

In my experience (I'm 65 so maybe that makes me older than the old people you are referring to) you are  wrong. Freshman numerals (the last 2 digits of the year you would graduate) were awarded for participation, so were JV (what we called "minor") letters. To earn a varsity ("major") letter one had to be a significant contributor at the varsity level. Every freshman (athlete or otherwise) had a school jacket where numerals or a minor letter could be displayed, but only varsity letter winners had letterman sweaters.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Point: For old people a particpation trophy was getting your varsity or jv or freshmen letter on your jacket. 

Reasoning: it didn't matter how good you were or whether you won or lost you received the letter for participating on the team

Guess it depends on your school, but we didn't just get a varsity letter for making the team, you had to earn it.   No JV letters were given, in fact you didn't get a letterman's jacket until you actually had the varsity letter.  As an example, for Track you had to actually place and earn a certain number of points to get your letter.  If you rode pine the entire season on your team, you didn't get your letter, etc.  I'm sure other schools are different, but that was the deal at our school.

The other difference, you have to make your high school team, where many kids related sports you sign up and you are on it.