There is no room for participation awards in the trophy room at DeAngelo Williams’ home. The Pittsburgh Steelers running back took to social media on Thursday to voice his displeasure with participation awards. In posts on both Twitter and Instagram, the Pro-Bowler stated that he made his daughter return her field day participation ribbon because he feels it leads to entitlement and kids not working hard enough.
Apparently, his tactic worked as his daughter, Rhiya took first place in her very next event. Participation awards are a hot topic, namely amongst parents of young athletes. Some argue that such acknowledgement is necessary to preserve the confidence of those not as talented as their peers. Others, such as Williams, feel that it leads to complacency within a generation where entitlement appears to be prevalent. In a society where competition is inevitable, be it in education, sports, or careers, do participation awards provide an unrealistic expectation for the real world?
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