North Carolina state lawmakers seek to ban participation trophies in youth sports

Three North Carolina state lawmakers introduced a bill late last month to eliminate participation trophies in youth sports.

Republican state Sens. Tim Moffitt, Bobby Hanig and Eddie Settle made the proposal in Senate Bill 430 to eliminate awards in youth recreation activities of local governments based on just participating.

“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.

As the bill was introduced, local coaches in North Carolina weighed in.

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“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,” Mark Johnson, a football and basketball coach in North Carolina, told WFMY-TV last week.

“… 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.”

Chauncey Carter told the station that kids should get a participation trophy up to a certain age.

“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,” he said.