Before coming to college, I decided to clean out my room, and I mean, clean out my room. I filled boxes with old clothes, long-forgotten toys and other random items from my childhood. I was able to donate everything to Goodwill or other similar organizations. But one item stumped me… old trophies, specifically participation trophies.
When I was a kid, I participated in multiple sports: basketball, soccer, cheerleading, softball and volleyball. I remember each season ended in receiving a trophy, no matter how well the team did. At the time, it was a fun reward, but as I grew older, I began to question the value of the “participation trophy.”
Participation trophies are rooted in the idea that “everyone is a winner.” They are given as a reward for simply showing up, rather than awarding the best players, which is the typical reason for giving a trophy or medal. However, the concept of the participation trophy is not the real problem. It’s how kids are being praised.
Psychology Today defines two types of praise: personal praise and effort-based praise. Personal praise is based on a child’s natural ability, something they did not have to work particularly hard for. An example would be saying, “You are a great artist!” or “You are really good at math!”
On the other hand, effort-based praise is rooted in a child’s behavior and effort, not the result of their work. Giving this form of praise is more likely to build confidence and self-esteem. An example would be saying, “You worked hard on that painting!” Sometimes this praise can sound lackluster, but it is a better way to focus on the process rather than the outcome.
Children who are given more personal praise than effort-based praise are more likely to struggle with failure. They are not able to cope and recover afterward. The personal praise can boost their natural ability to the point where they think they can’t fail, so when they do fail, it can completely crush their confidence and self-esteem. With effort-based praise, the child’s work ethic is being praised, which leads to a more resilient and stable recovery after failure.
Now, participation trophies.
As a reward for dedication and effort throughout a season, participation trophies can be great, but if it is given for just showing up, it does not have the same effect. The joy of winning or participating in a sport does not come from a physical award. It comes from the passion of playing and getting better through the season.
I played competitive softball for nine years, and during those years, my team won many tournaments. The trophies on my shelf that were associated with specific tournaments are much more important to me than a participation trophy from the one season of soccer I played when I was four years old. The value of a trophy comes from the win it is associated with and the effort that went into that win.
I understand that for a child playing recreational sports, winning is not the most important thing. It is about participating in other activities, building skills and having fun. In that case, there is nothing wrong with participation trophies.
The important thing is to teach kids how to bounce back after failure and to realize they will not always be the best at something. Children should participate in sports and other award-winning activities for the experience of that activity, not for an award given at the end.
Maddie Peters can be reached at pete9542@stthomas.edu.