Each sport has a very prestigious trophy awarded to its champion: the Stanley Cup, the Lombardy Trophy, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Despite those iconic trophies, the trophy making headlines this summer is the ever-common participation trophy. You probably have one from your childhood packed in a box in your attic; it’s a small piece of gold plastic with some sort of cheap plaque glued to its base.

In the wake of NFL linebacker James Harrison’s recent Instagram post, participation trophies have taken a lot of heat from different media. Harrison disapproved of his children receiving participation trophies, claiming they did not earn them. Now, everyone is up in arms about participation trophies, disapproving of their existence. Is this justified or is this an overreaction?

Even for young ages, all individual and team-based sports thrive on the excellent performance of outstanding individuals. Those are the players who have top-notch talent combined with a meticulous work effort; those are also the players who are recognized with game balls, MVP trophies and, ultimately, scholarships. Such recognition sets these athletes on pedestals, rewarding their abilities and hard work. But what about those who work just as hard but are incapable of achieving the same results?

We often forget the runts of the class who begged their moms to let them to sign up. Those runts then worked the hardest, resulting in feeble outcomes because of their size. If the other kids fail to tell them they are not good enough, they observe through their eyes that they do not compare physically to the other kids. In a trophy, these runts will have something to look back on, knowing they put out a great effort.

We often forget those with autism who finally have the motor skills to catch a basketball and heave it up to the hoop as they have the most remarkable smile on their face. That smile is there because they are finally fitting in and being a part of something special.

Yes, this something special is not possible without the MVP-caliber players, but that does not mean anyone less talented than that did not try. Participation trophy-level players are a part of the whole, which Aristotle said is greater than the sum of its parts. Those participation trophy-level players put themselves out there for judgment and insults, but kept their heads up and worked as hard as the MVPs. If you have ever been a part of something and you did not get a trophy, you certainly deserved one.

Now, you deserve a trophy; stay golden.