There is a Serious debate going on in America today regarding a seemingly harmless piece of plastic that many children value, but may be doing irreparable harm to their futures. This debate resides over the participation trophies that millions of American children receive every year, regardless of individual or team accomplishments and success.  These trophies are given out at every turn and are causing an epidemic of attitude in America.  There are overwhelming amounts of press, and media coverage of this topic, but very few statistics provided.  In order to understand the amount of harm caused by this culture of participation trophies, it is imperative to see all the facts.  By rewarding children with trophies, they didn’t earn through success and positive teamwork, America has created a harmful sense of entitlement amongst millennials as well as upcoming generations of children.

 Our country is facing an attitude epidemic.  The millennial generation is being considered by many to be the most entitled of all time. Entitlement “refers to the growing trend in children {and adults} to think that they can have, should have, and deserve to have whatever they want, whatever their friends have – and that they should have it now and not have to earn it or give up anything for it (Eyre).” This also has caused a great divide amongst our country.  There are a number of people in America who feel the government owes them certain liberties that extend well beyond the powers of any of the three branches of our government.  This sense of entitlement has created tension between the government and the citizens. There are a number of instances over the course of modern history that show us how truly dangerous it is for us to create tension between government and citizens.   The things that people ask the government to give them, are often things that they can obtain with hard work.  The beauty of making people provide for themselves is the lessons it can teach them for the future.  If we can get people focused on what they can do for themselves, rather than what they feel others should do for them, we can address the large gaps we have created between ourselves and other developing countries.  There are a number of statistics to back the claim that we are struggling in comparison to others.  We rank 17th in the world in GDP per capita, 20th in literacy, 47th in unemployment, 111th in economic growth per capita, 39th in labor force, and 9th in total welfare (NationMaster).  All of these statistics provided by NationMaster.com show the lack of drive in our society.  There is no reason that the United states should ever come up short of anyone else’s totals in GDP and Economic Growth per capita.  The lack of motivation for people to get off of the unemployment line is at an all time high. All of this can be changed through youth sports reform, specifically altering the use of awards and trophies.  

One of the biggest contributors to this problem is parents.  Most parents who enroll their children in sports know how it can shape character.  These parents however tend to not understand the impact of participation trophies that counters that of the positive lessons to be learned.  These trophies can cause children to expect things that they haven’t put in the work to deserve.  This has the ability to cause problems amongst families.  When children begin to demand things of their parents, it causes tension that can lead to strenuous relationships between children and their parents.

Entitlement starts at a very young age.  The way that children are raised has been modernized, and there are a number of physical possessions that we have become accustomed to receiving at a young age.  The first item that many children receive as an award is typically a participation trophy.  Although youth sports participation isn’t quite as high as it once was, mostly due to the recent revelations made surrounding concussions and other safety risks, it is still estimated that somewhere near 40 percent of children of young ages play a team sport.  Michael Rosenwald writes, “The percentage of children ages 6 to 12 who regularly play team sports increased nearly 3 percent in 2015, to 40 percent (Rosenwald).” This is a significant percentage of young Americans.  Youth sports is a great way for children to learn life lessons that will carry them a long way in life.  Some of the great lessons to be learned from these experiences include, the value of hard work, the ecstasy of success, and the ability to power through less than ideal situations.  These can turn a young man or woman into a great asset to our society.  If we can change the culture of youth sports to instill even better values, it will show in all facets of our society. This is what youth sports is truly all about.   

The debate surrounding this issue of the entitled generation, is not centered around whether or not there is a problem.  The debate usually centers around what the main cause of this problem is.  The argument for participation trophies as a key component of entitlement is very strong.  There have been a number of studies that have shown a strong link between the use of participation trophies in youth sports, and the sense of entitlement in an individual.  The use of participation trophies is justified by those that believe children should be rewarded for their commitment, however we too often reward children who are not committed to their activities.  It is very important for us to reward commitment, but it is not uncommon at all for kids to become uninterested, and uncommitted to the activities they begin.  It is important for us to teach kids what it means to commit to a team.  Showing commitment means attending every practice, game, and meeting.  This is not only important as children, but becomes increasingly more important as children grow and their commitments become larger.  If an employee decides that he or she is not feeling like going to work today, they cannot simply roll over and take the day off.  It is very important for us to show kids that some days they won’t be feeling like going to practice, but they made a commitment by signing up for this team, and they cannot simply abandon that commitment.  As cliché as it sounds, we all will run into something we don’t want to do at some point, but we have to put our head down and just get it done. This principle of hard nosed hard work will take people very far in life, and after all, that is what sports are really about. Rewarding this commitment is very important, but usually commitment will reward itself with success.

For us as a society, it is important to reward successes.  When children start to apply to college, or for a job, etc., it will benefit them to know the feeling of success.  Success breeds desire, and this is often what separates a good candidate from the chosen candidate.   If we can use trophies to reward children for the success they make, or even for making progress as an individual, then we will create a much more productive attitude than what we are right now. In a book titled “The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation is Shaking Up the Workforce”, written by Ron alsop, there is a great story in the first chapter.  The story outlines the middle age years of Larissa Kravanga, a University of Virginia Graduate, who has been very successful at Merrrill-Lynch, in the Corporate ladder.  The story highlights the stress that we have put on Children to simply strengthen their resume for college, and how sometimes parents and children put so much into their resume, and their application, that denial is hard. Alsop writes that millennials are, “the pride and joy of their parents.  They and their parents have placed a high premium on success, filling resumes with not only academic accolades but also a smorgasbord of sports and other extracurricular activities, volunteer work in their local communities, and exotic travels abroad.  This book shows that we are under more pressure than ever to succeed, and there are going to be more opportunities for failure than ever.  For this generation to be able to respond to failures, it is important to introduce them to that feeling at a young age.  

To some, it may seem a little harsh to say we should not reward kids for being a part of an unsuccessful team, and it is something that should be addressed.  It is important to be able to reward kids for making progress, even if that progress doesn’t result in a title, or championship victory.  However, the use of participation trophies to reward children for simply calling themselves part of the winning team is threatening. As a member of a team, there is always a way to contribute.  There are countless youth sports teams with one or two incredibly gifted athletes.  It is easy for a child to hide in that team and enjoy the success, but there is always a way for anyone to contribute to a team. Bettty Berdan wrote in the new York times on her oppions regarding participation trophies.  In that piece, she writes, ”They do not mean much to me because I know that identical awards sit in other children’s rooms all over town and probably in millions of other homes across the country (Berdan).” There is always a place for any child on a team, and we should reward them for their contributions, whether it is scoring a goal, or even picking up a teammate that is down after a mistake.  The most successful teams are quite often the teams that get a contribution from everyone on the team, and this is why we should reward success rather than participation.  In todays business environment, teamwork is very common, and for children to learn how to bring their own skills to the table for the success of the team is very important.  

There are many more than one reason to abandon participation trophies, and a number of them are very close to the heart of many American families.  One of the major incentives for families to gravitate away from participation trophies, is the money that they cost the organizations.  In a time that so many youth sports organizations struggle to meet the rising price demands for equipment and recreation space, it is very important for them to budget the money they charge wisely.  Investing in participation trophies can carry a fee that a lot of organizations cannot afford to cover.  Allocating this money towards the experience that the children have would keep them interested, and motivated.  John O’Sullivan is a former youth sports organizer, who says’ “We turned kids away because we no longer had the $40 scholarship that might have allowed them to play. Yet this is about the same amount as it cost to provide a team with their participation awards (O’Sullivan).” This quote comes straight from someone who was once on the inside of this issue.  He, if anyone knows the financial implications of this epidemic.  If we were able to take that money, and provide scholarships for kids who cannot afford to play, we could teach even more children the life lessons they deserve to learn in youth sports.  Not to mention the dangers of old equipment and bad fields.  These only add to the risk of the environment of youth sports.  Spending money that could be used to better the experience on participation trophies that in the end will only hurt the child’s future, is a double whammy that our nation can no longer afford.  

It is very known around the world that America is addicted to competition, and team sports.  This desire to be involved is great for children, and many of them may finding something that they enjoy for the rest of their lives.  There are a number of success stories like this in the world of sports.  One of the great American sports success stories is James Harrison.  Harrison is an NFL defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He started playing football at a young age, and admittedly struggled to be successful.  He was told a number of times that he would never amount to the level of talent, or size, or shape that we would need to be an NFL player.  Harrison was not able to stay out of trouble in high school, and was not awarded any scholarships to play football in college.  Harrison walked on to the football team at Kent State, a school that has only had one winning season since 1987 (Schulder).  Harrison was somewhat successful in college, but everyone in the NFL still didn’t believe he had potential in the NFL.  He spent years as a practice squad player, often not even being allowed to dress for games.  He was cut three different times, and somehow through it all, he has become one of the most highly touted defensive players in the league.  He is one of the highest paid defensive players in the NFL, and has made quite a great life for himself and his family.  Harrison is noted as being a heavy advocate against participation trophies, and in 2015 he posted to social media, the following message:

“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, 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 best...cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better...not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues (Rose).”

From somebody who has truly been challenged his whole life, by other people, as well as his own demon’s, Harrison’s words are very noteworthy in this argument.  James Harrison has not been told that he is going to fail more than anyone else might, but the way he responded is a testament to hard work.  Anyone who was given a trophy for their participation in Harrison’s situation may have responded by giving up or changing course, but he showed how he used the lack of reward to work even harder and take what he wanted rather than asking for it from somebody else.  By not rewarding kids for settling for anything less than what they want, and will work for, we are planting seeds for failure stories, just the opposite of Harrison’s.  Harrison is teaching his children a great lesson, and they are being set up for success by his parenting.  

The most important parties in this issue are the parents, coaches, and organizers.  In order to create a better environment for youth sports to grow successful young athletes into successful adults, and positive contributors to society, we have to have parents and coaches buy in to it.  For the leagues, it is important to find a way to repeal the use of participation trophies and replace it with a system of reward for accomplishment.  One good idea is small individual awards over the course of the season to reward individuals for their progress.  This may upset some children, and it will certainly upset more than a few parents, but it is important to get parents to look at the big picture.  When a child is in college, and working toward their degree, they have to look at their progress, and individual accomplishments compared to those inside their school, but also those at other schools.  This is why it is important to show kids that they are, and always be competing with people inside, and outside of their environment.  This system does not mean to only reward children for growing as athletes.  Equally important is for the kids to grow as teammates.  Rewarding children for being successful, and accomplishing goals, as well as showing good teamwork will result in a new generation of children who can create positive change for America, and make us competitive again with the rest of the world.  

Conclusively, in the current system of rewarding children with trophies that are essentially unearned with achievements, or good team work, America will continue to be an environment that breeds a harmful sense of entitlement amongst millennials and future generations.  We need to show children the value of hard work, and success or else they will settle with failure.  The children will continue to feel that they can coast, and still receive the same reward as someone who worked very hard to be successful.  Youth sports are a very important way for children to learn life lessons that they can use when applying to college, applying for a job, and many other situations.  The entitlement created by participation trophies is dangerous for kids when they fail in the future.  Instead of settling, we need them to work even harder, and take what is theirs instead of giving them what they will eventually expect they deserve.  
