Abstract
The notion of participation trophies is a topic that has raged on now for the past two decades. It defeats the purpose of competition, of a victory achieved through hard work and commitment. Children are being given too many trophies. Some say that participation trophies are an advantage for a child growing up, that it boosts their self-esteem. Other people, mostly professionals like psychologists and doctors of social science, state that this boosts of self-esteem is mistaken for what is in fact a generation of self-entitlement.
?
Trophies Galore
Initially a cup or decorative object awarded as a prize for a victory, trophies were regarded as a sign of success, now the soccer mom society have created a new type of trophies, "Participation Trophies", which, on the bright side, increased and expanded the Trophy industry greatly, but on the downside created a controversial issue centered around the youths of today. Participation trophies are a topic that has been a major subject of discord for over twenty years. Also it has recently gained traction again because of a tweet by NFL star James Harrison this pas August. In a Forbes article, the author Bob Cook quoted Harrison " I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! These trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their bestcause sometimes your best is not enough".
A lot of parents are against participation trophies; they consider it useless in a way that makes sportsmanship unimportant nowadays. Sportsmanship is the core of competition, and competition is what motivates people to work harder, better, and reach for the stars. That is why parents like James Harrison feel like children accepting par...