Participation Awards Pros And Cons Essay

Should everyone in an event receive a participation award? In the text Pros and Cons: A Look At Participation Trophies For Youth Athletes by Travis Armideo, and In Defense of Participation Trophies: Why They Really Do Teach the Right Values by Lisa Hefferman both make similar points and help determine whether participation awards are necessary for young kids. They both explain the benefits of participation awards as well as acknowledging their flaws too such as how they affect kids and how they also help kids in the real world.

In Armideo’s text, he states “[g]iving everyone involved some level of recognition goes a long way toward boosting confidence and promoting future success,”(Armideo) which portrays one of the many easy ways that participation

She talks about how these awards affect kids, and how they can help kids too. The text states “[p]articipation trophies remind young kids that they are part of something, and may help build enthusiasm to return for another season,”(Hefferman). This proves that awards can help kids by building enthusiasm and can make them want to return due to their accomplishments and/or value and progress in whatever they are doing. Along with stating the fact awards can built enthusiasm, Heffereman also infers that awards can help kids understand the importance of the small things, such as “showing up for practice,learning the rules and rituals of the game and working hard,”(Hefferman) since those are the things that are most valued. Adding to the idea that participation awards are necessary, Armideo and Hefferman both discuss how working hard and being a part of something is the main reason why they receive participation

In the text Participation Awards: Good or Bad by Sunny Chen states that “there are certainly children that need the extra encouragement, I find that there are also children who may need to be taken down a few notches,” which can conclude that participation awards can make kids arrogant or self-centered since they get an award even if they don't put in the effort or that they know that they’ll get the award no matter the circumstance. Chen also differentiates with the pros of participation awards by mentioning that when a child is praised so often just by participating can make them lose their interest quickly. Chen states “[i]f they feel that they will be rewarded regardless of effort or ability, it could discourage them from improving their skills,” which shows the negative effect of participation