Trophies Deserve Recognition

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A trophy is defined as “a cup or other decorative object awarded as a prize for a victory or success” (Oxford Dictionary). Trophies were invented ages ago when soldiers began taking pieces of their defeated enemy’s armor, for it symbolized a token of victory. When the Olympics began, men created cups and medals for the best teams and individuals who excelled in competition; this ultimately leads to children receiving trophies in academics and recreations. Ashley Merryman states that “Trophies were once rare things,” but today, extracurricular activities distribute trophies to all child competitors because “everyone's a winner”. Trophies are given to children in order to promote self-esteem and confidence; however, these awards are useless because they make children believe in fallacious accomplishments. Due to too many …show more content…

A popular controversial subject is whether or not children should receive awards for participation; recognition for participation makes children lazy. Po Branson says, “Nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve.” If a child knows that he is capable of receiving an award in football, then he will strive to reach his full potential in order to get it. An award like a participation award will cause a child to work less, for he knows that he will receive an award regardless. Trophies should be awarded to individuals who stand out in competition. When everyone participates and receives an award for it, then the award is not really an award. The American Youth Soccer Organization spends 12% of its annual budget on trophies, one for each of its athletes and about one third of these 3500 athletes receive two awards. This shows that even the biggest companies in sports are guilty of giving out pointless awards for kids

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