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When you complete high school, it doesn't matter what your grades were, you get a diploma. It says you participated start to finish in something that consumed a lot of time and effort, even when it wasn't fun.
When you finish a marathon, it doesn't matter if you come in 4th or 4000th, everyone gets the same medal that says they trained until they complete 26.2.
So why are we holding young kids to such a different standard? It's recognition that they participated even when they didn't want to, they worked towards a goal (even of it's just finishing the program) and they achieved it!

@BrandNewMom: I agree with this!

As a kid, I was never good at sports. I always tried my best but it was never good enough. All I ever got were participation ribbons (Usually from school track meets). Now that I'm older, it means nothing to me. But when I was young, I felt so proud of myself when I got a ribbon. I don't think it's a matter of whether kids learn to lose graciously. Almost every team I was ever apart of was the "losing" team and I never had a problem losing. (And most of these sports never had participation awards). It sucks, but I knew we tried our best. I think it's when kids get use to winning that it becomes harder to lose. And I don't think participation ribbons have any factor on that.

Ugh, honestly, I really hate this idea. For little kids, I think it's fine. Because kids like that sort of stuff, and they're little, so whatever. I think trophies should be used to reward more than just "You came" and "you participated". Good sportsmanship maybe? So I think it's a problem with adults, too. Everyone needs to be made to feel special for doing something they wanted to do in the first place?....I don't get it. And OMG THE CLUTTER. No thanks. What happened to a team pizza party at the end of the year? Fun team shirts? *shrug*

So the problem is that it continues until they are adults and spills into the work place, and then people are asking for "certificates of achievement" for doing their job. Which they receive a paycheck for. Don't get me wrong, a thank you is nice. Recognition is nice. Particularly for above and beyond effort. But sometimes, it is just ridiculous what people expect, and for the most trivial things. There's a special snowflake epidemic

@BrandNewMom: Well, your high school grades matter if you want to go to college.....or go to a good school....

I don't like them, especially as kids get older. Kids need to learn that not everyone wins and how to lose gracefully. Winners should get recognition for achieving above and beyond.

I danced competitively for almost 20 years and as a kid, I thought it was nice that everyone got a participation ribbon at competitions, but trophies were only given for winning.

I don't think trophies for everyone being "winners" is a great idea-- it just isn't real life that everyone wins all the time. It's disappointing to lose, it's also euphoric to win, and those are real-life situations and feelings that are important experiences.

I think it really depends on age and stage of life. Things like little kid rec leagues where its not really about competition, I think participation ribbons or a team pizza party is just fine. At that stage, you're really just gauging the interest of the child in an activity and it IS an achievement to finish a season.

I think once you start getting kids to play competitively, then there should be some kind of team banquet to celebrate being in a team and finishing a season, but awards should be given out for specific achievements. And I don't think that necessarily means being "the best" on the squad or whatever.

I was listening to an NPR story about this with some sports psychologists and they were saying how vast improvements can be seen in team sports when you start tracking really specific statistics on each player and then compliment/encourage each player on something they are doing well in. It motivates the player to do better and it creates an environment where everyone on the team is looking for things each player is doing well. In that same vein, you can give out lots of specific awards to lots of people and that really helps both the player and team improve as a whole.

I dorm care either way. I think people make way too big of a deal about it. Getting a participation trophy alone isn't going to turn your kid into an entitled person or whatever. You can teach the lessons you want to teach your kids regardless of the trophies they receive. I think it's important to reward effort as well as achievement. Neither are the be all end all in life.

I think as long as it's middle school or younger it's fine. I think by high school though it should be phased out.

@blackbird: Yes, agreed. I don't like it mostly because it's yet another disposable cheap plastic thing from China that will add to the clutter. I know it felt silly to me even as a non-athletically inclined kid on the receiving end. I knew I sucked at sports even with a trophy, and on the flip side I felt genuinely proud of actual accomplishments (like winning a speech contest) where there was no trophy.

When my daughter did a soccer camp they got a ticket to watch our local soccer team play at the end of the camp. I loved that idea.

@gingerbebe: your last paragraph is an idea I could really get on board with. Recently, I started reading the Carol Dweck book that there's been so much chatter about in the parenting world. It's this one http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-Success/dp/0345472322

But it's all about how a "Growth Mindset" leads to success and it's the idea that hard work and effort should be praised, and that people have to truly BELIEVE that if they work hard and practice something, they will improve. Whereas in a fixed mindset someone either is or isn't good at something, end of story. And her book goes a little bit into how it's demotivating to have a Fixed mindset, because you feel like something should automatically be easy or you aren't good at it, and you give up if it's not easy. So people don't learn how to persevere and improve, or work hard.

So...trophies for participation. I don't know how I feel about it. Would a kid be motivated if everyone gets the same trophy, regardless of effort? I think it's kind of a lazy way of TRYING to encourage everyone that ends up making the trophy meaningless. Kids aren't dumb. I hated participation ribbons when I was growing up--I knew it meant I was just one of many that didn't get a "real" ribbon. I would have honestly not had a ribbon. But that's my personality. However, I think it would have been meaningful if I got a ribbon for a specific improvement that I made by working hard--if a coach noticed that I came in last place, but shaved 4 seconds off my best time. That would mean so much more than just a general "participation" trophy, you know?

@Anagram: Yes, exactly. I think there's a lot to be said about the hustle factor and grinding it out. Using the marathon example from earlier, even if you're not competing to be the best in the marathon, most people ARE training to beat a personal record or take on a harder/longer course. Some people aren't naturally competitive in terms of beating others at something, but that doesn't mean they don't want to do better for themselves or for their team. So in that vein, rewarding effort, consistency, a positive attitude, working hard, and making some kind of improvement is huge in making that person better at what they're doing and for their organization as a whole.

Is a trophy much of an award? Has anyone honestly been motivated by a trophy? I think winning is a very separate felling than receiving a piece of plastic

Love it! In our league, the coaches honor a different value every week. LO got the Courage medal one week. So proud!
I think it won't hinder the competitive kids. They will be competitive and try hard no matter what. I think the recreational sports kids will get in on the fun and not 'feel' like sports are impossible to be good at, just because they are not the best.