Participation Trophies are Useless

Participation trophies are worthless.

They serve no purpose other than to tell a kid that they will always get a reward no matter how hard or how little they work at something. It means they are nothing special. It means they are just average.

Participation trophies do not help prepare a kid for the real world as they grow up into young adults. They will always expect to get something in return for doing nothing more than anyone else in whatever endeavor they choose.

Some might say that these trophies build self-esteem. This may be true to an extent. However, what happens when they participate in something that doesn’t give out participation trophies? At that point, the illusion of being rewarded for doing nothing goes out the window.

Kids should earn trophies just like they earn everything else in life. If they want money to go buy toys or candy, then they should earn it by doing chores. If they want to go play with their friends, they earn that privilege by getting their homework done. If they want good grades in school, they earn it by turning in their homework and studying hard for tests.