Stanford Researcher Carol Dweck explains how her research of over 40 years showed that children who have had too much praise when they didn’t deserve it became less resilient. Participation trophies do not teach kids the values that are taught when working hard enough to earn something. If at a young age you are not taught the valuable life lesson of working in order to achieve, then you do not have a solid foundation in life to be successful. Throughout history, those who are remembered for something are those who were the best at what they did. When Michael Jordan, who is widely regarded as the best basketball player to ever live, did not make his high school basketball team as a freshman, he did not quit. He was resilient in his work to become the best and in return became the legend that he is known to be today. If Michael Jordan had made the team his freshman year when he didn’t deserve it, he may not have been as willing to put in the effort that made him so great. Praise is being given to many children who don’t deserve it in the form of participation trophies and the foundation for their future success in all aspects of life is therefore being negatively affected.

        James Harrison and Curt Warner are both future NFL Hall of Famers who have used their fame in order to speak out against participation trophies in youth sports. James Harrison voiced his opinion in an interview with Michael Smith in Pro Football Talk, and explained how he refuses to let his children receive participation trophies because he believes that they need to learn the lesson that they have to earn rewards by being the best. Harrison’s outspoken voice reminds me of Audre Lorde’s in the article, “The Transformation of Silence into Language.”  In this article Lorde’s opening statement is “I have come to believe that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood”. What Lorde is explaining, is that no matter the risk of being scrutinized, it is very important to always speak your opinion. James Harrison is following the ideas of Lorde by speaking out against participation trophies because many people will scrutinize Harrison as being a strict father and not “supporting” his sons. I believe that Harrison is simply using his platform to educate people about how working hard to be successful from a young age grooms you for success in the future. By being future hall of famers in the NFL, Warner and Harrison’s opinions on hard work are well respected by many people who understand sports.

        Participation trophies have taken away from the drive to be the best in sports. By losing this drive, youth around the country are changing how sports are viewed. For a very long time people have used sports as not only a way of getting exercise but also as ways to be taught valuable lessons for the rest of your life. When the drive to be the best is lost in sports, children also run the risk of losing their drive in other aspects of their life. Some of the most influential figures in modern society are athletes, if these athletes had not been driven to work hard at a young age then they would not be the social figures that they are. Along with influential athletes many famous social figures, such as the 44th President Barack Obama, also credit sports for teaching them so much on how to be successful. Participation trophies are going to cause sports to lose the importance that it currently has in modern society. Without sports, many people would feel as if they didn’t fit in. Those who feel accomplished when given participation trophies fall to the wayside of those who only feel accomplished when they deserve it. By eliminating participation trophies, all children in sports would be taught how important it is that rewards should be earned and not given. This would allow sports to continue to be a major tool in teaching children many different lessons in life.

When children are given participation trophies in youth sports when they do not deserve them, they begin to develop a sense of entitlement that they have not earned. This sense of entitlement often continues into the real world, and these children are liabilities to society. People now believe that they should be rewarded for reasons they don’t deserve. This is why the current generation of young people is refereed to as the “trophy generation.” Participation trophies are causing the younger generation to grow up with a sense of entitlement that is detrimental to their future success. Participation trophies need to be taken away, and the act of working hard needs to be praised more in order for society to change for the better. Like Audre Lorde says, people should not be afraid to speak up for what they believe in, and a change needs to be made.