North Carolina Wants To Ban Participation Trophies

A group of North Carolina lawmakers are pushing through a bill that would ban participation trophies for youth sports leagues.

The "Eliminate Participation Trophies Act," was introduced by Republican State Senator Timothy Moffitt of Hendersonville in an effort to halt the pandering that we are seeing as a society now more so than ever before. It has since been supported by more state senators and is gaining ground across the state.

The proposed law says that kids should only be given awards for actual achievements, and not for just showing up.

"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," Moffitt's bill reads. "Awards provided in connection with the activity, if any, shall be based on identified performance achievements."

Gold champion trophies and medals lined up in rows. Selective focus

PARTICIPATION TROPHIES - GOOD OR BAD?

Here's my personal take on participation trophies.

If you're under the age of 8 or so, I have no issue if everyone gets a trophy or ribbon. You want to encourage kids to continue to play a sport and try out as many different things as they can. Kids are kids - they don't know what they want (hell, most adults still don't). Getting a ribbon at that time makes kids happy and perhaps drives them to want to win and accomplish more. No need to discourage them at such a young age because they didn't win a damn T-Ball game.

But above the age of 8, 9 or 10, I think you have to slowly start teaching kids that life isn't fair.

The increasingly annoying "The world is a utopia! Everything is great!" mindset has no doubt hindered American society's competitive edge in the world. This participation trophy mindset has made its way into public policy and it is contributing to the dumbing down of America.

It's like Oprah giving away cars to everyone... but with trophies.

When I was growing up, my parents used to always tell me that "life isn't fair." Today however, younger generations come across as needing more attention, entitlement, and coddled from anything and everything.

I mean hell, this past December I wrote about how Gen. Z parents don't want to teach their kids about Santa Clause because it may be "traumatic" when the child finds out Saint Nick isn't... wait for it... actually real. (Allegedly)

Have participation trophies gone too far? (Getty Images)

IS GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION THE ANSWER?

Although Senator Moffitt's intention may be noble, do we really want the government to be THIS involved in our lives? The fact that they can tell families, parents and sporting leagues what awards they can give out seems like something George Orwell would have written about.

If we've learned anything the past few years of Covid-mania, it's that politicians and bureaucrats LOVE power and love intervening in hard-working American's lives.

Politician's trophies come in the form of higher taxes and taking away people's liberties.

Moffitt does make an overall good point however. We have to start doing something about this crazy belief that the world is all butterflies and puppies. It's not.

But maybe it's not just the kids that are at fault. Moffitt may want to call out the Tampa Bay Rays and these other sport franchises for celebrating mediocrity at its finest.

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