I really hate when little billy loses and the parents make an uproar to where now even the losers are winners with trophies and consolation prizes. What ever happened to competitiveness and striving to be better, are they not factors anymore because they hurt peoples "feelings".
2007-01-03 05:22:47 · 14 answers · asked by Enterrador 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Well, I understand where you are coming from. However, I find it unfortunate that Americans seem to have lost the capacity to take a passing interest in anything or play a game just for fun. Heck, it's gotten to where a kid can't just play a sport with his friends for kicks anymore. (S)he must join a team, devote hours of practice a week, give up weekends for the games, and must endure over zealous parents of teammates publicly ridiculing them if they screw up a play. That is *way* too much pressure to put on an elementary school age kid, especially when the real point is to have a good time playing a game.
The competitive spirit is a wonderful thing. As one who has competed on the national level before, I certainly understand the drive to win. If a child wants to do that, great. However, kids also need the opportunity to just play for fun without the overly competitive pressure as well.
2007-01-03 05:33:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We must be very, very careful about competition.
In some ways, competition can encourage people to be better and strive to challenge themselves to achieve in ways they didn't achieve before.
However, many people nowadays (including some of the parents of the kids you are talking about!) are so set on winning that they feel that their kids (and vicariously, they) are a failure if little Billy's team didn't win the competition. Perhaps they are focused so much on winning that they forget to look for whether little Billy expanded himself and improved as a result of the challenge.
Then they must figure that little Billy's self-esteem must be suffering because he's a loser, so they want to give him a trophy to make him feel better.
Hopefully some of these people are also using the condolence trophies to encourage the kids who did try to do their best, even if they didn't win.
When I was a teenager I played in a church softball tournament and one of the parents for the other team was cheering so bad against us that, at the end of the first game, the umpire asked the parent not to come back. I suppose this well-meaning parent thought that cheering against the competing team was her form of showing support for the daughter's team, but it ended up just making us feel bad and embarrassing the parent, and probably the daughter too.
So, parents, beware.
2007-01-03 14:14:45 · answer #2 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate competition. That means someone wins and someone looses. Whatever happened to teaching and celebrating sportsmanship? It is not whether you win or loose but how you play the game. This idea builds character and does not promote someone being worse. We should all cheer each other on and celebrate each other. This stepping on one another to be a "winner" carries over into all walks of life. That is one of the fundamental problems we have in society today. I say...everyone is a hero. Be the best you can be. Do not be afraid of what you can't do but just enjoy life, be the best you can be and treat others the same. We can all be winners with the right attitude.
2007-01-03 13:27:24 · answer #3 · answered by Shayna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree completely! When I was a kid, we actually won or lost! The trophy or prize was for the one who won, not for everyone! My kid sister has tons of trophies...participation trophies. She is proud of those! I think that making everyone a winner is the top of a slippery slope for the degredation of society. In real life, how will these children reatct when they are not rewarded for simply trying?
2007-01-03 13:26:09 · answer #4 · answered by country_girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is stupid, the children these days will not survive the world of business. If they lose a sale, it will really hurt their feelings if they never learned that this is a part of life.
2007-01-03 13:45:09 · answer #5 · answered by lynddd 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kids need to learn how to deal with losing too, you can't always be a winner.
2007-01-03 13:25:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's better to be competitive than show emotion after a accomplishment.
2007-01-03 13:24:56 · answer #7 · answered by dragonofhonesty 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On one hand we need to learn to lose but on the other hand there are some people who try really hard but just never win. To me the consolidation prizes dont mean that much...i dunno
2007-01-03 13:33:26 · answer #8 · answered by bluecolouredflames 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but sportsmanship should be taught. Be graceful whether you win or loss. No need to boast or moan.
2007-01-03 13:32:43 · answer #9 · answered by us5we2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boy you hit that one right on the head...play...win or lose...and live with it. The idea is to compete, kick butt or have your butt kicked and not whine about it!
2007-01-03 13:26:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋