The Great Debate

Should awards be handed out for participation?

By John Engh

Participation awards—they’re the second-most talked about, dissected, and debated topic in youth sports these days, right behind parent behavior! But it’s actually a more complex subject than it seems at first glance.

First, there’s the actual award that kids receive. Regardless if it’s a trophy, medal, plaque, or ribbon, some people argue that giving this type of recognition for just showing up has the potential to devalue these awards in the future when they are handed out for team or individual achievements. Now, I have never witnessed a situation where a participation trophy is confused with a first-place trophy for winning a league or tournament title, or even for individual accolades, like most valuable or most improved player. Quite simply, some people have an issue with giving an item like a trophy for participating. My take on this? Get over it!

Participation awards may not be the best idea, but they certainly aren’t ruining a child’s desire to pursue greater achievements. At the highest levels of sports, athletes are recognized all the time for being on a team and persevering for the entire season. I know plenty of participants on my high school teams that rarely got meaningful playing time, but still were recognized with a varsity letter for being on the team. And you might say those kids actually had to try out and make the team, and that is why they are awarded, and you would be right. But there are also plenty of high schools across the country that struggle for participants, and anyone who shows up for practice is on the team and receives a varsity letter at the conclusion of the season.

Now, actual trophies or plaques for participating can be meaningful at the early stages of youth sports. I didn’t get them when I was younger, but my children received them when they were playing. One great learning moment occurred when my daughter advanced from U8 to U10 soccer; at that time she already had five or six participation awards for soccer on her bedroom shelf. At the end of her first U10 season, her team finished in the middle of the pack, and the league no longer provided trophies for all the girls. The explanation made perfect sense—the league wanted the participants to transition to a more competitive mindset, and had picked the U10 division as the starting point. Instead of awards for all, the league spent its money on drawstring backpacks with the league logo screen-printed on them. Now you can debate whether this was appropriate at that age, but the concept makes perfect sense.

And that leads me to another point: At a younger age—say under 10—giving awards for participation is a great idea. All we want to do at those ages is make the activity fun, so recognizing kids for being involved and trying a sport is certainly a way to do that. If you feel like a trophy is important, go for it. If you like the idea of a plaque or some other way to recognize all of your program’s participants, then do that. If you get creative and do something else, that’s great too. But do something!

The only real opinion that matters is what the kids have to say. I can tell you that, in my experience of coaching many baseball and soccer teams for those early ages, I never had a child who did not like getting recognized for his or her efforts.

Let’s take a look at what some Certified Youth Sports Administrators (CYSA) had to say on the subject:

Dave Adams, Recreation Coordinator for the City of Phoenix (Ariz.) Parks and Recreation: I give out “Thank You” gifts for participating, items like branded drawstring bags, headbands, wristbands, water bottles, ear buds, etc. Something the kids can actually use, and it’s free advertising for us when they use them around the city. I feel giving everyone the same participation award—regardless of what type of effort they put into the league—seems unfair.

Amanda Wilkins, Recreation Coordinator III for the City & Borough of Juneau (Alaska) Parks & Recreation: We hand out certificates at the end of the season. All my youth programs are recreation-based and all-inclusive, meaning all levels of ability participate. The programs are focused on sportsmanship, healthy habits, skill building, and creating friendships over intense competition. Our city has plenty of competitive travel teams and those that want that option. But a lot of the kids do not have that as a choice for a variety of reasons. And many travel team kids play in our programs because they get more game time and a chance to work on their leadership skills.

Waylend Reed, Youth Sports and Fitness Coordinator for USN-Naval Station Guantanamo Bay: I believe in the Miracle of the Medal. For my program, it’s an incentive to stick around, develop, and complete the season. The focus is not on what place kids come in but their personal gain from learning teamwork, cooperation, and completing a commitment. Remember, each medal holds a different memory and tells a different story.

Brandon Stortz, Recreation Manager for the Ottawa (Kan.) Recreation Commission: We do not give out participation trophies. This has resulted from feedback of coaches and parents. Parents want their children to earn a trophy, not be given one for participation. It is a sentiment that our staff fully agrees with.

Miste Adams, Recreation Superintendent for the National Trail (Ohio) Parks and Recreation District: We provide participation ribbons. They are all the same style and color for all kids, no matter the age. This is more of a keepsake, showing that they played. It has our logo, the sport, and the year. Something for a scrapbook!

Jim Frommeyer, Recreation Facility Specialist for the City of Dayton (Ohio) Recreation and Youth Services: We give trophies for all of the sports, but I explain to the kids and (mostly) to the parents that it isn’t so much a participation trophy as much as an award for completing the season. Every kid at every level has to overcome some type of adversity. Sometimes that’s learning the skills of the game, and sometimes that’s just making it to practice. The award represents hard work and dedication in finishing out the season—and has very little to do with wins and losses.

John Engh is executive director of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) in West Palm Beach, Fla. He can be reached via email at jengh@nays.org. To join more than 3,000 communities by starting a NAYS Member Organization, visit www.nays.org, email nays@nays.org or call (800) 729-2057.