Every kid is a winner. No matter what the score is, the final result or whatever happened on the ice, field, pitch or court, every kid is a winner. At least, that is what participation medals are teaching young kids. When I played youth sports, which is roughly three years ago, we didn’t want to be rewarded because we signed up to play. We wanted to be rewarded after reaching a milestone; first, second or third place. On my trophy shelf inside my bedroom, there are two participation awards. The rest are awards that I or my team have won. I’m not saying this because I want you to think I am some superstar athlete, but I’m showcasing that times have changed, and it might not be for the better. Studies have shown that handing out participation medals or trophies can actually have negative effects on young athletes. Dr. John Fader, Sport Psychologist for the New York Mets, firmly believes that “giving trophies for participation, unless …show more content…
Now, before you tell me that school is different. It isn’t. If we can teach our young-athletes that participating is enough to be rewarded, can we not expect the same inside the classroom, or later down the line in the workplace? If your child receives the lowest possible mark on a test, would you want them to be rewarded with stickers on the sheet? I can’t speak for every parent, but I am sure the majority would want their kids to smarten up and work harder at the task. How come we can’t see the same thing inside youth-sports? If a team loses all their games in a season, the kids can receive a token for playing – whether it be a shirt, team photograph, maybe even a pizza party. But, the kids should not be receiving a participation trophy or medal. I’m not heartless, but I can agree with Dr. Fader, HBO and others that the wall full of participation paraphernalia is doing more harm than