The participation trophy has become a worldwide epidemic in youth athletics and it is popular more than ever right now.  Children are very vulnerable and receiving a trophy means the world to them.  In the era of the participation trophy, it has sparked up a variety of opinions from experts and professional athletes, but research has shown cognitive and interpersonal improvements in the adulthood of these kids after receiving trophies as children. A lot of people get the wrong idea about participation trophies, but the real meaning to them is,  “those trophies don’t tell kids ‘you’re the best.’  They tell them it’s okay to try and that they should keep doing so.”  No matter who likes or dislikes the idea of rewarding kids with trophies for effort, as long as kids are displaying improvements from this, parents and coaches should continue to hand out trophies.  

Positive reinforcement works well on kids because they are more prone to perform if they know a reward will be waiting for them at the end.  It’s a confidence and self-esteem booster, which is always good for kids to have when they are young.  Self-esteem is a big part of childhood and in a New York Times article from 2016 the author states that, “Any kind of honor can make a young kid feel as if he or she meant something to the team, and that could boost the child’s self-confidence –Children today need as much of that as they can get in our society.”.  This is a major reason why trophies are very popular because it keeps the kids happy and if they enjoy the sport, they are more likely to continue playing at an older age. Another statement from that article included, “Participation awards begin to instill the idea in a child’s mind that working with a unit can lead to success”.  By working as a unit, these kids have developed a better sense of teamwork, which in the long run will benefit them in the real world.  Another characteristic of positive reinforcement includes that,”trophies act as a visual reminder of a quality for which they are admired. When they see their trophy, a child can fondly recall the event, activity, or attribute that earned them such praise.”  This allows the kid to reminisce on a memory that is really special to them and “this constant positive reinforcement and sense of pride in a particular skill or trait will help encourage the child to perpetuate and further develop this aspect of their life.”  This is very important for their future because this reinforcement will nurture these kids into successful adults if they continue to act as leaders and show constant effort in everything they do.    

Not only do participation trophies lead to increases in self-esteem and confidence, it has proven to boost grades and make kids try harder in school.  A study conducted at Stanford University, where they gave young children IQ tests, showed that the kids who were praised for working hard choose the harder test when asked to take it again and kids who were praised for being smart took the easier test.  The Chicago Tribune stated that “rewarding effort and participation in young children makes them more likely to try harder in the future.” Aside from trying harder in the future, researchers have also stated that, “participation in sports leads to better grades, higher self-esteem and an increased chance of attending college, especially for girls.”  This data found by researchers has translated to the classroom and kids are challenging themselves with harder classes and preparing themselves for a successful career.  In elementary school, most kids received stars for displaying some type of excellence, and those stars are similar to participation trophies because it reinforces the kid that they did a great job and it makes them feel better.  

Because kids receive participation trophies for playing a sport, the exercise involved in the sport is a major factor to eliminating teen obesity in young kids and the trophy can encourage continued participation.  Striving for a participation trophy will help fight obesity because it will make them feel better about themselves if they have something to work for.  Researchers from Dartmouth stated that, “Team sport participation had the strongest and most consistent inverse association with weight status.”  The biggest results concluded from their research was that participating on multiple sports teams was the biggest factor in lowering teens’ likelihood of obesity.  This was conducted on teenagers and they weren’t receiving participation trophies, but the thrill of escaping childhood obesity is like being rewarded with a trophy.  The fear of living the remainder of their lives in obesity is not what they have planned and doing anything to escape it will benefit them greatly. 

The Participation Trophy has changed the way sports are played through an effort standpoint.  Kids are trying harder ever before to receive trophies and they have been a great reinforcement tool to striving for success.  Sports have become more competitive and enjoyable for the kids that are part taking and research has shown that these kids are more likely to have a successful life if they received trophies as a child.