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There are two completely opposite sides of the fence when it comes to participation trophies in sports. Those who believe participation trophies are good for sports and those who think they are the worst thing in the world for sports.

One side of the fence is totally right. The other side of the fence are the losers who have never won a trophy fairly. They are the people who have been handed everything and believe they are entitled to a trophy. Participation trophies are ruining sports.

Any athlete who has ever played a sport knows that sports teach lessons that help in the game of life. Hard work, dedication, accountability, adversity, learning how to win, learning how to lose, trust, teamwork and perseverance are things sports teach people about life.

Athletes learn better than non-athletes that you have to fail to eventually become successful. An athlete doesn’t give up when they fail, but instead gets back up and makes adjustments so that failure turns into success. Sports teach athletes to become leaders throughout the workforce and the world. Sports are hard, but life is harder. Being an athlete teaches you how to push yourself to the limit both mentally and physically.

Handing out participation trophies undermines all of these amazing skills. It teaches children that no matter what happens, you’re a winner. That is completely false. Walk down the street or go to a store and you will find many losers in life. Simply existing or trying isn’t always enough.

Kids are taught that everyone is special when in reality, that just isn’t the case. A job search is the easiest way to realize that. Simply applying or trying doesn’t get the job. How many of you have not gotten the job you have interviewed for? How many of you have missed out on a promotion? There are many cases in life in which if something isn’t earned, you aren’t rewarded. Why should we reward the losers a trophy just for showing up?

James Harrison said it best on Instagram.

“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies!” Harrison said. “While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better…not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues”

Harrison could not have conveyed a better message. Sometimes your best is not enough. There are times you are not special as a person and there is nothing wrong with that. We must all find our niche in life. Anybody who has ever won a trophy or earned something they worked extremely hard for knows this. Earning is better than entitlement.

Participation trophies teach children at a young age that hard work is meaningless because no matter what happens, trying is good enough to earn a trophy. Kids who have received participation trophies have been programmed to think and feel entitled to something not deserved.

It has led to the death of competition in the NBA. Everyone has fun playing with their friends and believes that no matter what, they will be ok and have fun even if they lose. Now teams have to form “Big Threes” or a “Big Four” like when Kevin Durant joined the Warriors. Everyone is looking for the easiest route and it is because of participation trophies.

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry (Bird), called up Magic (Johnson) and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,'” said Michael Jordan. “In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

This is what life and sports should be about. Competing to be the best. I may be completely biased because I have won trophies and never been given something just for showing up. There is pride to be taken in that though. Earning a trophy validates hard work and, anytime I failed, I knew I had to work harder. Participation trophies ruin the idea of hard work and incentive.

Vince Lombardi once said, “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?” If everyone gets a trophy why should we keep score? Winning and losing builds the character society needs to succeed. Please stop giving kids trophies just for participating. The world is better off, and much more exciting when you overcome an obstacle and earn your reward.

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