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By Madison Blair

Guest Columnist

We live in a society today where we give kids trophies for just participating. Giving trophies for only participating does not give them a good mindset.

As these kids age, their work ethic will not be good if people keep handing things out. Their mindset will be “If I just participate in something, I will still get rewarded, even if it’s not my best.”

Unfortunately, that is not reality.

The harsh reality of it all is that there will most likely be someone better than you at something if you don’t work at it. Sometimes, your best isn’t good enough and society needs to be more OK with that.

On the other hand, people make the argument that participation gives kids a boost of self-esteem. Yes, it does do that, but what happens when they get into the real world and they aren’t rewarded for every little thing they do?

When kids have worked hard to win and see that their opponent gets a trophy, it makes them not want to work as hard anymore. How is that fair to the kids who earned their trophy?

When we give participation awards, it also kills competitiveness. I grew up very competitive, and I still am. I hate to see kids are losing their desire to win. Only some people should feel like they are first or a winner all the time. Kids should take losing as an opportunity to win the next time.

The feeling of losing makes the feeling of winning so much better. I hate losing more than I like winning. I think that is the way that it should be, and participation trophies do not promote that mindset.

Participation trophies also promote narcissism. Not every child should feel that they are the best. It could lead to a false sense of confidence that could backfire on them in the long run.

Kids shut down and give up when they are faced with difficulty now and that isn’t how it should be. Losing should give you grit and willpower. I know when I lose, it makes me want to work X times harder than before.

Trophies are not for everyone. Trophies are for winners and those who work hard. When you finally get one, you feel more accomplished than you would if it was just handed to you.