Last month, three North Carolina state lawmakers introduced a bill that would eliminate participation trophies in youth sports.
The exhausting discussion around participation trophies was presumably done as conservatives moved onto other silly culture war issues, but in North Carolina, this is still something worthy of debate in the state’s most important lawmaking bodies in 2023.
Republican state Sens. Tim Moffitt, Bobby Hanig, and Eddie Settle are the ones who proposed the bill. They introduced Senate Bill 430 to eliminate awards in youth recreation activities of local governments based on just participating.
It’s unclear how many lives have been ruined by participation trophies, but the bill aims to make sure their scourge is removed from North Carolina youth sports.
“Youth sports or other youth recreation activities operated under the authority of a local government shall not include awards for participants based solely on their participation in the sport or other activity. Awards provided in connection with the activity, if any, shall be based on identified performance achievements,” the bill reads.
Naturally, not everyone is on board with the absurd bill.
“I feel like a kid should get something for finishing a full season with a team. If they came to practice all year and tried their hardest I have no problem with that at all… Then you’ve got some kids that are on teams that aren’t successful because of coaching, it’s not on the players they aren’t successful it’s about the coach and those kids deserve something”, youth football and basketball coach Mark Johnson told WFMY.
Greensboro youth coach Chauncey Carter agreed that there’s nothing wrong with giving kids a trophy when they’re very young regardless of the outcome.
“You have to teach a winning attitude, you have to teach a winning mindset but you also have to let the kids know that you have to accept your losses also… When you start dealing now when you’re dealing with 12-16-year-olds, they’re looking for more than wins, they’re looking for scholarships and looking to be the best at their position, and losses don’t make you the best”, Carter said.
We’ll see if the state of North Carolina decides to take up this very important issue.
[WFMY]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.