There has been a rise of the "participation" awards in youth sports. And, yes this means that everyone on the team, even if little Johnny only played two minutes out of the entire season, will receive an award. I have heard the benefits and the pitfalls of this trend. The question is: should youth sports keep giving everyone an award?
To get a little personal, I work at a graphics shop where we make trophies, plaques, posters, banners, tee shirts and a whole lot of other random items. I had an order that required over 18 trophies that all said offensive player of the year. It was for a 5-6-year-old football league, but those who know just a little about sports know that this kind of award is usually for an individual. The coach did not want to make these little kids feel left out, so he simply threw on this label for all of them.
Is this a bad thing though? In one sense, yes it is because there is always one person on offense that will stand out. On the other hand, we are talking about 5 and 6-year-old kids, so maybe everyone did contribute to the games. But, what does this idea of "everyone is a winner" give the little kids. I believe it gives them either a great feeling of accomplishment (even if they didn't accomplish anything) or the feeling that of course, I deserve this award. I don't know what goes through the mind of a 5 or 6-year-old, but the notion that everyone deserves an award is interesting.
To try and tackle this question, I want to give you some fabricated examples to help explain.
The first situation has a young, shy boy who is bad at making friends. Little Johnny does not have a lot of fun around others and seems to be a loner. He feels that he is a loser and his confidence is at an all-time low. When he is put into a youth basketball league, he learns how to interact with others. Learns how to talk to people without trembling at the sound of their voices and his confidence is starting to grow. He isn't the best at basketball, but he sure tries hard. Instead of the coach saying, "you suck," the coach encourages the boy and at the end of the season, the once shy boy is given an award for participation. Johnny has finally achieved something and his confidence is restored.
This scenario is one that shows this practice of giving everyone an award can help with self-esteem. It gives them something to feel proud of because at least they came out and did their best. This is the positive side of this trend. Here is another scenario where the opposite result occurs.
Little Bobby is a stuck-up kid who is always handed his achievements. Sports are no different and he expects his terrible performance to be recognized. Being handed everything has given Bobby a false idea of what the world truly is. He is seen as a brat and this system of giving everyone an award has given him a false notion of hard work.
What I tried to paint from this scenario is the idea of life hands you achievements for just showing up. Which unfortunately does not happen (*sad face). Little Bobby won't appreciate the opportunity, rather consider that this youth league is blessed to have him here.
I know these scenarios seem unrealistic, but more often than not, they really aren't. I have worked in youth leagues and there will also be that Little Bobby and the Little Johnny. It is something I have struggled with because it is frowned upon to tell a kid to their face that you have a bad attitude or you suck at this. While I had coaches that didn't mince their words of criticism, I have not seen such a sweeping transition of the "kind coach who only encourages" before.
Which approach works better? The coach who gives everyone an award or the traditional "work for it" coach where awards are limited. It depends on the situation for me because no one technique will work for everyone.
It is difficult to say that everyone should win an award for just showing up. But, the idea that making everyone feel important is a great cause and a cause I am willing to support. While you will always have those kids that are too entitled, that shouldn't cast a shadow over the other ones who are trying their best. Everyone should feel special and who are we to take that away.
