Look into the world of James, a teenager who got participation trophies throughout his whole life. Now in middle school he found out that he can’t always win, and he is distraught. This is what happens if you give out participation trophies, the kids feel like they will always win, but they can’t. Participation trophies started in the 1960’s to make kids want to play, and soon the use of them began to expand. Participation trophies should not be given to kids because it makes kids feel like they don’t need to improve, it takes away the trophy’s value, and it sends the wrong message to kids. First, participation trophies make kids feel like they don’t need to improve. For instance, in “Losing Is Good for You” by Ashley Merryman it says, “...those who receive an award should have to work for it.” With participation trophies you don’t have to work, or even try, so kids don’t feel like practicing. In addition, that same article by Ashley Merryman states, “If children know they will automatically get an award, what is the impetus for improvement?” If kids don’t seek improvement then they won’t gain in ability, and will not develop a good work ethic. Therefore …show more content…
For example the article by Ashley Merryman states, “Trophies were once rare things — sterling silver loving cups bought from jewelry stores for truly special occasions. But in the 1960s, they began to be mass-produced, marketed in catalogs to teachers and coaches, and sold in sporting-goods stores.” If trophies are mass produced then there is nothing significant about them. Additionally in the article “Should Everyone Get a Trophy?” by Lauren Tarshis it shows, “Both Coffin and Anthony point out that trophies can lose their meaning when everyone gets one.” When the trophies lose their meaning the kids that truly earned them don’t feel there is any value in them. Thus giving out trophies to everyone involved, ruins the value of