Successor. The. Winner. The winner of the contest. Champion. The. In our society, trophies symbolize numerous ideologies. While instant glorification is nice, this feeling of gratification will not last forever. In the passage, “Participation Trophies Send a Powerful Message,” written by Parker Abate, the author debates the topic of whether kids should receive participation trophies. Children should be rewarded with participation awards because it teaches them to value self-esteem and teamwork. As a child develops, they are introduced to self-esteem. They are unable to rely on their own thoughts; consequently, they rely on trusted adults, such as their parents or coaches, to guide their opinions. In the article, Abate states, “Watching a peer receive a trophy and not receiving one yourself can be degrading.” The child in this scenario is led to question their abilities; furthermore, they are set up to undervalue their potential later in life. Abate continues to explain this idea, stating, “these kids dedicate time, effort and enthusiasm, and they deserve something tangible to make them …show more content…
However, participation awards teach children the importance of team effort, and teamwork is a “real world” ideology that can be seen anywhere. If a child is introduced to teamwork early, they are more likely to do well in school or at jobs in the future. This can be seen in the article when Abate states that “participation awards begin to instill the idea in a child’s mind that working with a unit can lead to success.” If everyone on the team receives an award, children are encouraged to realize that “success can mean working collaboratively and becoming a team,” instead of concentrating on winning number one. Being taught this idea at an early age can benefit a child's willingness to collaborate with others, as well as weaken the possibility of egotism later in