Participation Additional Reading

Aleigh

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/10/06/should-every-young-athlete-get-a-trophy

This piece gives an overview of a room for debate article regarding giving trophies for kids. In addition, it is geared towards students, whom are encouraged to comment and share the article.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/health/participation-trophies-parenting-debate/ 

This article and included video discusses how NFL linebacker James Harrison posted on instagram about his kids participation trophies and how he gave them back. It opens up the argument about what types of messages handing out trophies for the sake of handing out trophies has on children, coaches, parents, and the trophy industry.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/what-my-participation-trophies-reveal-about-me/

This is a less academic piece and more of an opinion post being that it is coming from a blog. It talks about how the meaning and effects of participation trophies has been taken out of proportion and is now just another thing to be used against millennials. The author refers to her own childhood experience and how it really had little positive or negative effect on her.

 

Dean

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/health/participation-trophies-parenting-debate/

In this article, writer; Kelly Wallace, talks about the debate of participation trophies. She uses professional athletes as well as her own opinion to discuss the debate and back up her side. She talks about the perspective of participation trophies in society and the dangers of trophies on our children.

http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/races-sports/how-participation-trophies-are-making-our-kids-soft-20150725

Evan Grossman, writer of this Men’s Journal article writes about how participation trophies are making our children soft. He believes parents are a big part of the problem by inflating their self-worth and that there is scientific to back up his side of the debate.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2016/10/09/only-a-few-win-mentality-more-dangerous-to-kids-than-participation-trophies/#75e6891628c1

This Forbes article written by Bob Cook talks about the dangerous mentality participation trophies create in people’s head. He believes that only people who come in first, second, and third should receive trophies. He talks about alternatives to substitute for the trophies that still helps kids stay invested and make them feel valued.

 

Wesley

https://books.google.com/books?id=kUnDLfjWQzUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Awards, trophies, all-star competitions, mvp awards, provincial and national championships, and other secondary incentives, should be de-emphasized in favor of benefits intrinsic to the activities which foster inclusion, rather than exclusion, of young children in physical activity.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/losing-is-good-for-you.html

Awards can be powerful motivators, but nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. The trophy system can take away the spirit of winning. Merryman talks about how there are quality lessons that can be learn when losing and when everyone gets a trophy it takes away the motivation in children to win.

 

Joe

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.elon.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=23&sid=1bd8af3c-2663-4cf2-8a41-304b43556b9e%40sessionmgr101&hid=120

In this peer reviewed article on youth sports it explains how youth sports often only have participants who can afford to play. By giving these kids participation trophies, you are rewarding these kids for their parents being able to afford to play. While those who can not afford to play get left behind even though they may be more talented than those playing.

 

ezproxy.elon.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=16363738&site=ehost-live.

In this peer reviewed article, it is explained how many youth sports organizations are scaling back on participation trophies. The article explains how kids who are being rewarded even when they don’t give good effort are being coddled.

 

<http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/10/06/should-every-young-athlete-get-a-trophy/participation-trophies-send-a-dangerous-message>.

This article from an experienced athlete in the New York Times debates the idea that participation trophies build children’s self esteem in the right way. The author argues that trophies are now more “party favors,” instead of tokens of true achievement. She continues to explain how if children are taught they are winners even when they lose, they will never have the internal motivation to truly be the best because even the worst players get the same rewards as the best.

 

George

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/10/06/should-every-young-athlete-get-a-trophy/forget-trophies-let-kids-know-its-ok-to-lose

This article pinpoints that awards can be powerful motivators, but nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/health/participation-trophies-parenting-debate/

Research from this article is about children developing narcissistic and entitled traits or characteristics from receiving trophies once they turn into adults. Participation trophies are unhealthy for kids because they aren’t learning what it takes to succeed and what they are learning is that minimal effort will still reward them with a trophy.