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A bill filed by three North Carolina Republicans seeks to prohibit local government-run youth sports or recreation groups from awarding participation trophies.
The proposed legislation—titled “An Act to Prohibit Awards In Youth Recreation Activities of Local Governments Based Solely on Participation"—restricts awards to those based on "performance achievements."
The bill, sponsored by state Senators Timothy D. Moffitt, Eddie D. Settle, and Bobby Hanig, would require approval from the state Senate, House, and Governor Roy Cooper to become law.
\u201cNew target for the #ncga: Literal "participation trophies" #ncpol\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
Hanig said the motivation behind the bill is “past the sports,” explaining that it's important to teach children to "be prepared for life" and failure.
He added:
“When kids are growing up they’re being taught it’s OK to just be OK. You don’t have to be the best.”
You can watch a local news report about the proposed legislation below.
The proposed ban has received criticism from some, such as North Carolina state Democratic Representative Deb Butler, who argued that the bill does not impact "competitive athletics," but rather affects children.
In an interview with the Asheville Citizen Times, Butler emphasized the importance of creating a sense of community and belonging for everyone, rather than just acknowledging the fastest or the strongest:
“Competition is fine, and acknowledging who ran the fastest or threw the ball the farthest is all good."
"But why in the world wouldn’t [we] want everyone to have that sense of community and belonging."
"It’s preposterous and a colossal waste of time."
Many shared similar sentiments while mocking the proposed legislation online.
\u201cThe North Carolina General Assembly is coming after your participation trophy.\u201d— matt parks (@matt parks) 1680199102
\u201cWait... the state of North Carolina is going to ban 'participation trophies'?\n\nDoes that mean it'll make people stop flying the Confederate Battle Flag - which is the ultimate 'participation trophy'?\u201d— AmyLaura @ mstdn.social/@amylaura76 (@AmyLaura @ mstdn.social/@amylaura76) 1680527149
\u201c@RaleighReporter This feels like the participation trophy of legislation\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
\u201c@RaleighReporter Wow - They really have their finger on the pulse of what the public thinks is important.\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
\u201c@RaleighReporter It really shows how great everything is going in the state when lawmakers have time to waste on something so immaterial.\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
\u201c@RaleighReporter Thank gawd they are handling real business.\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
\u201c@RaleighReporter I'm sure participation trophies are the root cause of the current shooting at Forsyth Tech.\u201d— Colin Campbell (@Colin Campbell) 1680188539
The concept of participation trophies has long been a source of concern among conservatives in the United States.
While it's typical for kids to receive awards at the end of events or games, the idea of rewarding children simply for participating, rather than winning, has been debated for decades.
The conservative outrage toward participation trophies has proven so strong that The Atlantic once dedicated an entire article to them, observing participation trophies have "become a caricature for the Millennial stereotype, symbolizing a generation some believe to be so coddled that merely showing up is grounds for an accolade."