T Ball's Sinister Secret

We try to give our kids as many opportunities as possible, be it Tee Ball, soccer, library reading clubs, or gymnastics.  These activities are great for social interaction and developing skills that my kids don't get a chance to develop while they watch Nickelodeon all day.  But, many parents are unaware of the dark underlying message that these activities promote.  What, on the surface, appears to be a harmless medal actually holds a sinister secret.

Somewhere in the history of pee wee league sports, somebody decided that everybody should get a medal so nobody would have their feelings hurt.  I'm all for everybody getting a chance to participate and feel like they're part of the team.  That's why you let all the kids play, even the ones that throw left-handed (it's okay for me to say that, I'm a Southpaw).  But, why on earth would you reward the kids that play in the dirt the same way you reward the kids that actually field grounders?  When all of these kids get the same medal, it teaches the ones that put no effort into playing that it doesn't matter how you do.  It teaches those that are actually good at hitting, catching, and running, that it doesn't matter, you're treated the same as the other kids.  It's the same effect that giving everybody a mandatory raise at work has.  Nobody works harder because you all get paid the same no matter what.  Where's the motivation, the drive that kids need to succeed?

I remember playing ball as a young kid and being upset when I wasn't the one to get the "Most Improved" or "Best Hitter" trophy.  But, that only fueled me to get better at hitting or to improve my overall game.  Today's "Participant" trophies are a joke, nothing more than scrap metal (or, more often, plastic) that ends up in the bottom of a drawer somewhere next to underwear and socks.  When I finally did receive one of these coveted "Most Improved" trophies, it was displayed proudly out in the open for all to see.  Now, my son has four different trophies from every time he participated in a sport, and he could not care less about any one of them. 
 
Personally, I would rather have my son not receive a medal.  I want him to know he sucks at T Ball.  The sooner he quits playing sports, the sooner he can start working on his engineering degree.  Don't fill these kids' heads with big league dreams.  Keep it real.  Tell them to put down the bat and glove and start picking up books and extra classes.