I got them all throughout elementary school in the late '90s and early '00s when I played park district sports. My older brother got them in the mid '90s. I imagine they were petty common by the late '80s if not earlier.

I ask because the whole participation trophy thing has been used by Gen X'ers to disparage Millennials but I'm thinking late wave Gen X probably received them too.

The only participation trophy that I got was when I played Little League Baseball. I didn't really care for it that much.

I have read about that and it seems to come from the fact that this generation's mantra was "Everybody is a winner and there are no losers." 

I have read about that and it seems to come from the fact that this generation's mantra was "Everybody is a winner and there are no losers."


I think it seems to be like that since the early 90s, when people with disabilities had more rights thanks to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. They probably thought that those who had mental and/or physical disabilities should've gotten more respect, since they probably couldn't achieve their dreams if they wanted to be athletes. Although they did something like that with the Special Olympics.

I never got them as a kid. Ever.

I never got them as a kid. Ever.


You're lucky. It doesn't seem important to have one of those participation trophies.

I never got them as a kid. Ever.


Same. I thought it was a Gen Z thing  :-X Although thinking about it, my sister never got any participation trophies either.

I did get some most improved/best effort awards though. Does that count? They're not participation awards though, since only one person gets them.

Oh, they've been around since.....I don't know maybe the 1940s.

They rejected my participation.  :-X  :-X

Same. I thought it was a Gen Z thing  :-X Although thinking about it, my sister never got any participation trophies either.

I did get some most improved/best effort awards though. Does that count? They're not participation awards though, since only one person gets them.


I don't think awards like that actually counts. Participation awards are something that they give out to everybody. Like of how the Special Olympics give medals to everybody who participated.

I hear older folks bashing Millennials about this all the time, but I've honestly never gotten a participation trophy in my entire life. We had "Field Day" competitions every spring when I was in elementary school and the only kids that got a trophy/ribbon were those that came in first place. Even when we'd play kickball during recess the whole "not keeping score" thing never came into play, and we always played a full game until one team defeated the other.

I really believe it's just one of the those things that bitter olds greatly exaggerate so they can criticize the younger generation.

This here was a popular song in the late 70s, so I guess the concept was already there back then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvqzyBlJ0rg

I got one in 2005 at a bowling contest.

I hear older folks bashing Millennials about this all the time, but I've honestly never gotten a participation trophy in my entire life. We had "Field Day" competitions every spring when I was in elementary school and the only kids that got a trophy/ribbon were those that came in first place. Even when we'd play kickball during recess the whole "not keeping score" thing never came into play, and we always played a full game until one team defeated the other.

I really believe it's just one of the those things that bitter olds greatly exaggerate so they can criticize the younger generation.


Or maybe they just wanted to insult the younger generations, simply because they think participation trophies are for pussies or wimps, as they would call it.

I never got them as a kid. Ever.


Why not?

They rejected my participation.  :-X  :-X


Why was that? ???

I got one in 2005 at a bowling contest.


I got 3 awards when I was in my bowling league 15 years ago.