Persuasive Essay: Should Everyone Get A Winner?

It’s loud but you ignore it, you’re on stage waiting, hoping that you won first place. Heart racing, palms sweating, fingers fiddling, this is the most nerve racking moment of your life. They call your name. You won! The trophy is beautiful, but everybody is too distracted by their own shiny trophies. Your gaze jumps back and forth because their trophy is almost identical to yours. The joy of winning slowly fades as you think to yourself “I won, big deal.” Late in the 20th century this tradition kicked off. People no longer need to win to get a reward. Trophies are now given to everyone for participating, this way nobody feels left out. Trophies should not be given to everybody because the trophies will lose their importance, while setting the expectation that people will be rewarded for doing what is required and no one will strive to improve.

For example Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University in California, said in the article “Should Everyone Get a Prize?” written by Brenda Iasevoli that, “‘The trophy has to mean something,’ Dweck told TFK. ‘If we give a trophy to everyone, then the award has no value.’” This shows how if everyone gets a prize, there is no point in getting one at all. It means nothing to have it when everybody has one as well. Additionally, Dr Michelle Anthony an author and psychologist and Karen Coffin a coach who writes about youth sports agreed in the article “Should Everyone Get a Trophy?” written by Lauren Tarshis that “... trophies can lose their meaning when everyone gets one.” This explains how it is senseless to get the trophy because it no longer means anything to the child who receives it. As a result, giving everyone a reward takes away the