Half of Americans Say Participation Trophies Are Not As Important As Rewarding Winners
Half of America believes that rewarding winners in sports is more important than recognizing “participation,” according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
I never participated in sports (it is a major understatement to say I am not athletic), but I did many different forms of dance, including in competitions, a couple of talent shows, and a number of art contests. And my siblings (who are athletic) all did sports. I remember as a kid always feeling half ashamed and sometimes even insulted if “participation trophies” or medals or ribbons were part of the contests. There is something humiliating about a participation trophy—it is so much a pity prize. It means not only that you weren’t good enough to win, but also that those in charge feel so sorry for your ineptitude that they treat you like a toddler and hand you a consolation prize.
Not only is this mistaken sympathy, but it hardly qualifies one to deal with life. My siblings and I have all been more successful in our lives because my parents never believed in handing out a compliment or a reward unless it were earned. If my mother told me my drawing or essay were well done, it meant something, because she was too honest to flatter me. And if my mother told me that my drawing or essay were no good, and (most importantly) told me why, I would go back and fix it—and so improve my skills. On the other hand, my peers who grew up with precisely the sort of parents who awarded participation trophies and nothing but compliments have nearly all grown up to be shiftless, unsuccessful, immature, and incapable of dealing with life. I do not mean to say that my siblings and I are in high-paying jobs or do not have plenty of room to improve, but we always have the mentality that we must aim high. I do not see that in many of the young people I grew up with. I do not claim any credit for this myself; it is entirely due to my parents, and particularly my mother.
Apparently half of Americans are aware of how dangerous this “participation trophy” mentality is. According to Rasmussen:
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 81% of American Adults believe it is important for young people to participate in sports as part of their development, including 39% who say it’s Very Important. Only 14% don’t think playing sports is important to young people’s development. Those numbers are nearly unchanged from four years ago. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
When it comes to team sports for children, 50% think rewarding the winners is more important than making sure that everyone is recognized for participating. Forty percent (40%) think recognizing participation is more important, and 11% are not sure. Those numbers are somewhat different than a March 2017 finding that 56% believed it was more important to reward winners. . .
Sixty-one percent (61%) of Republicans say it’s more important to reward winners in team sports for children, an opinion shared by 40% of Democrats and 51% of the unaffiliated. Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats, 33% of Republicans and 35% of the unaffiliated believe it is more important to make sure everyone is recognized for participating in children’s team sports.”
Unsurprising that the party of the victim mentality and rank ingratitude (the Democrats) should have more people who believe in participation trophies.
Only rewarding winners is not cruel, as long as we teach our children to be polite (which we generally don’t). It is more cruel to teach children that they will always receive an award just for being present. That is not the way life works. Those who are successful—and I do not mean necessarily in a monetary sense, but in the sense that they accomplish any assigned task well—are so precisely because they were taught that only the winners get the trophy.