On participation trophies

[Guest 85555]

Yup. Also before they became a forced "talking point" most people who did care about them were for them.


Also yup and this is important because people today frequently act like they're a Millennial thing, and it's like, no, that's grotesque historical revisions/just outright re-writing history. The people who made the decisions re: participation trophies existing were Boomers and the oldest Gen-X, i.e. people who were in their 30s and 40s in the '90s. The very age groups now acting like they're a shocking surprise.

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Just a slight point. Many boomers weee in their 30 and 40s in the 80s (some even in their twenties). It is a very large generation.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Just a slight point. Many boomers weee in their 30 and 40s in the 80s (some even in their twenties). It is a very large generation.

Sorry, but that's actually missing the point. They could be even older, sure - my point is that the generation(s) which complain about "participation trophies" are precisely the ones who created them for their kids and the kids of others. Who sat in those PTA meetings and said "That's a good idea!". Who cheered their kids when they came home with aforementioned trophies.

 

[Christian Hoffer]

That right there is the problem for a lot of us. Who wants to just run around doing something that means nothing? Not me. I can have plenty of fun in the game outside of winning and losing, but if winning and losing are not a part of the game, then it's just a boring waste of time for me. That's the reason that kids quickly stop playing Tic Tac Toe. Always ending up in a tie with no winner or loser is boring as hell.

Winning and losing are not the cause of poor sportsmanship like you encountered there. Other issues cause that, which is why it also showed up in a game that meant nothing.

It's a league for young children. Teaching them to be competitive to the point of sucker punching each other in the back of the head is toxic. Kids can participate in sports for the joy of participating and being involved. There are plenty of different levels of play - treating a rec league that costs $20 to sign up like La Liga is insane, IMO.

Of course, I can't compete in any contact sports because I got laid out in a rec league game of flag football. Some douchebag thought it would be funny to headshot me when I was going up for a catch. I don't remember the week afterwards. Apparently, by these standards, I shouldn't be allowed to participate in what was supposed to be a casual game.

 

[Christian Hoffer]

I'll just point out that there are plenty of sports traditions that celebrate the love of the game over competition and that's what participation trophies are designed to encourage.

 

[Guest 85555]

It's a league for young children. Teaching them to be competitive to the point of sucker punching each other in the back of the head is toxic. Kids can participate in sports for the joy of participating and being involved. There are plenty of different levels of play - treating a rec league that costs $20 to sign up like La Liga is insane, IMO.

But this is why you teach them to be good sports. No one should be getting sucker punched in the head (competitive game or otherwise). The coach I mentioned int he post was an example of someone who set a bad model of sportsmanship. The answer here is not permit adults to engage in bad behavior on the field that kids will model and have rules governing sportsmanlike conduct. It is the kids competition, not their’s.

 

[Christian Hoffer]

But this is why you teach them to be good sports. No one should be getting sucker punched in the head (competitive game or otherwise). The coach I mentioned int he post was an example of someone who set a bad model of sportsmanship. The answer here is not permit adults to engage in bad behavior on the field that kids will model and have rules governing sportsmanlike conduct. It is the kids competition, not their’s.

Sure, you should teach kids to be good sports. But again, there are different levels of competition in all of these sports. I don't need my 5-year old to treat a tee-ball league like its the World Series, nor do I need my 9-year-old acting like his rec league game is the World Cup. Lowering the bar on what's considered a success keeps the activity fun for different levels of ability and skill.

There are plenty of sports leagues (and other activities) that cater to more competitive levels. The problem is that there are folks who demand EVERYTHING be turned into a competition and those people are (to be frank) typically the biggest losers at all.

 

[Umbran]

This is why it’s important for the adults involved to give it some kind of meaning for the kids.

Sure. But, if you aren't keeping score, that meaning is in the activity as a whole, not in winning.

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

Context is important:
A participant prize for going to the mandatory company team building event feels bad.
A participation prize for getting to the playoffs in your high school team feels better.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Competition is fun though. Kids enjoy competing to win. And measuring performance is helpful. I don’t personally care to play team sports but they can develop useful skills working to improve and work together as a team. It’s also helpful to experience victories and losses. I think it can be taken too seriously. But having victory conditions in soccer is part of learning how to strive for something and test your skill. When we play chess or risk, or a game like Axis and Allies, we don’t just chuck competition out the window and move pieces around just for the fun of moving things; we have winners and losers because it’s fun and mentally stimulating to.

Competition is fun! But I don't think anyone is calling for the end of competition. But it's good to have a mix of opportunities for people and kids who want to participate in organized kinesthetic activities.

It's a little surprising to see so much argument for having all games be competitive on a forum dedicated to D&D, which is hardly a competitive game. Sure you are trying to overcome obstacles and "win" the scenario, but it's not like you're competing against other teams, and at the end of the day the DM is actually on your side.

 

[TiQuinn]

Sure, you should teach kids to be good sports. But again, there are different levels of competition in all of these sports. I don't need my 5-year old to treat a tee-ball league like its the World Series, nor do I need my 9-year-old acting like his rec league game is the World Cup. Lowering the bar on what's considered a success keeps the activity fun for different levels of ability and skill.

There are plenty of sports leagues (and other activities) that cater to more competitive levels. The problem is that there are folks who demand EVERYTHING be turned into a competition and those people are (to be frank) typically the biggest losers at all.

It also doesn't help that the majority of youth sports leagues are increasingly turning from local leagues into regional travel leagues requiring increasingly high fees to play and "raising the stakes" so to speak for everyone involved - making what should be a time for kids to learn the game and learn about sportsmanship into a competitive league with kids vying for future scholarship dollars.