Kids around the world participate in sports. Whether it is baseball, basketball or football, many children have received a plaque with their names on it. In the passage “Participation Trophies Send a Dangerous Message” by Betty Berden, she explains why children should not receive an award for participating in something. However, this claim is disputed in the passage “Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message,” by Parker Abate. In alliance with this opinion, trophies and awards are a vital part of children's lives; thus, provides a way of remembering what you accomplished at such an early age. Initially, participation trophies should be handed out to children because it boosts their self-esteem. While some people believe that trophies should be given out to “first, second and third” place …show more content…
Thus, handing out awards for putting in the work shows them they accomplished something they would never think they would be able to do. “These young athletes should be honored in lesser ways and all deserve to feel some form of accomplishment.” No matter the abilities you possess, everyone should be acknowledged and appreciated for their hard work. Some people may argue that if we just keep handing out awards, they are just going to “expect awards and praise for just showing up — to class, practice, after-school jobs;” however, receiving awards at a youthful age will show it takes passion and perseverance to be rewarded for their efforts. Some people may refute and say just because they work hard, does not mean they will be successful later in life. Although this may be right, “no one has ever been prosperous” for not learning to work hard from the start. In other words, there is not a single person that has ever been successful that sits on their living room couch watching TV every day. In contrast, they learned what it means to strive and grit through