By: Tanvi Ambekar

World Editor

Since the early 1920s, sports organizations for players of all ages have been distributing participation awards, usually in the form of a trophy, medal, or broach. Generally dubbed “participation trophies,” these awards face significant criticism, particularly in youth leagues. Parents and coaches alike argue that passing out these trophies to every player regardless of their performance both diminishes the achievements of the best players and reduces the other children’s motivation to improve. Far more empirical and anecdotal experience supports the latter claim; multiple studies have shown that if children expect an award no matter how they perform, they often lose their drive toward their sport. Youth sports leagues and parents should replace the attendance trophy with verbal affirmations of effort and sportsmanship, because children thrive from praise that reflects their actions.

The longest-standing argument against participation awards states that they undermine self-initiative to improve as a player or teammate. A meta-analysis of 128 studies on intrinsic motivation found that completion-contingent rewards significantly reduce free-choice motivation. It is worth noting that performance-based rewards hindered children’s willingness to try as well; therefore, an award does not mean anything unless one actually feels a sense of validation from it. 

Instead, youth sports organizations and parents should use affirmation to encourage behavior that a child is developing independently. This does not mean that coaches should stop highlighting a child’s weaknesses; adults simply have a responsibility to commend children for skills that they improve. If a player makes an excellent pass, instead of telling them to keep doing it next time, coaches and parents should mention the improvement from past games — therefore encouraging consistent effort. 

Some may argue that verbal praise may foster narcissism just as much as participation awards; a 2014 review of three studies found that when adults gave low-esteemed kids “inflated praise,” the kids’ challenge-seeking tendencies decreased. However, experts have created a clear distinction between praise and affirmation, since they have very different effects. Psychology professor Stephen Rollnick elaborated: “Affirming is when you acknowledge something inside the player that’s already there … It’s something for them to notice too [and] take ownership of.” Only when children see the path forward can they begin to walk it. 

While the intention behind participation trophies is positive and important, it ultimately remains an issue within sports leagues. The most effective way to encourage participation and effort is to highlight specifically what a child is doing well and how they can grow, rather than using meaningless trophies as a means of motivation.

(Sources: Balance is Better, Columbia University, InsideHook, National Library of Medicine, University of Baltimore)