Participation awards crossed my news feed again this week. The running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, DeAngelo Williams had his daughter return her participation medal. Many people called him out on making his 7-year-old daughter return her participation award, but his next Instagram post showed how right he was. She won first place in her next event. I don't know much about Williams, or football in general, but I definitely support his move. He believes that participation awards bring about a sense of entitlement, and he did not want his daughter to be a part of it. I applaud you, Mr. Williams.
Growing up, I have been in many different competitions, from The Odyssey of the Mind and the Pinewood Derby, to rowing in regattas. I have earned participation awards, I won't deny it, but it certainly did bug me when I did. When I got those little odd ribbons or awards, I was confused. I worked hard, but didn't win. I could not understand why they gave me something. I didn't need encouragement, I wanted to win, so I'd try better next time. Not getting an award pushed me further into strengthening my work ethic.
This fall will mark my seventh year of rowing. Throughout high school, I proudly raced with my fellow West Springfield Spartans. Now in college, I am a part of the UNG Rowing Club. Even though I have raced in less regattas than I did in high school, I have many more medals, including two gold medals. I know I certainly would not have those if it was not for two things: my amazing team and my determination to improve. Even if I got participation medals, I know I would still have a great team, but would I still have that drive to win? If I got medals for every time I got fourth, fifth, or sixth, would I still want to push as hard? I don't even think I would have stayed with the sport, because those medals are not satisfying, and to a degree they are insulting to me.
My seven-year-old cousin plays football and baseball. He loves to play them; you can see the smile on his face. After watching him play once I asked, "How was the game?" and he said that he had fun. He wasn't worried about getting a trophy, he was enjoying what he did. His mother disapproves of participation medals, as well as my grandfather. Three generations all agree that participation medals suck.
When these kids are young, from ages four to seven, maybe they aren't so bad. Once they get older, then these become detrimental. Participation medals at more competitive events encourage not only entitlement, but also complacency. They teach kids that they don't need to try hard to be rewarded, that they just need to put in a little effort.
Participation medals need to go. People need to learn to let kids deal with failure and defeat, even if that makes them sad, angry, or frustrated. Did you get where you are today by being coddled the whole way?
