Soccer Rewards: Helpful Or Successful?

Up on the top of my bookshelf there are several old soccer trophies from my childhood gathering dust. Soon enough they will thrown in boxes in storage and be long forgotten. I do not care much for these trophies; I do not look at them often. It is the picture of my soccer team that I treasure infinitely more. Often, when it comes to young athletes in parks and rec sports programs, there is a debate over whether or not to hand out trophies to all the kids that participated or to only hand out trophies to some kids. The best solution is to hand out trophies to the winning team and to give everyone else a certificate of participation. This allows the winning team to be recognized, trophies are not needed for the players self esteem, and there

You hear the final whistle blow and the whole team breaks out in smiles and cheers, the exertions of the game washing off in a second. But that winning moment is a culmination of hard work, practice, and teamwork. The effort that goes into winning should be rewarded and recognized by awarding only the winning team trophies. Giving everyone else certificates allows them to be recognized for their participation but the trophies add distinction to winning team. Giving only the winning team trophies also teaches a life lesson to the player: hard work leads to success. Some people may argue that the winning team was more naturally gifted and other teams worked just as hard. But at the ages of 5-12, natural talent isn’t really the biggest factor. Sure one player might be fast but the technical skills and teamwork that are needed to win the game must be

At the end of the season you find yourself with a new family, your team, and an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment in yourself and in your team. At that final banquet you don’t care about a trophy. You hand it off to your parents and run off to snatch a piece of cake and to laugh with your teammates. Because the people you meet and the connections you make will stay with you for the rest of your life. Some people may state that even though trophies might not be the most valuable thing you get, they can remind an older you of past memories from the Parks and Rec program. But a trophy, in reality, does little more than sit on a shelf or in a box in your garage forgotten. It is the photos of old games that hold more value. Looking at a trophy won’t remind you of the time you scored your first goal but a picture will. A trophy is something that forget, throw in storage. But your team is not; your friends are not; your memories are not. No young athlete needs a trophy because they receive so many more valuable things over the years they participate in Parks and Rec programs. Trophies should not be handed out to every player just for participation. Trophies should be handed out to the winning team to instill a sense of accomplishment in them and certificates to all the other players to recognize their participation. This system will not damage the self esteem of any