Bryce Harper tells little leaguers participation trophies aren’t ok

Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper spoke to little leaguers to say participation trophies are not cool and winning is everything.

With school out for summer, many youngsters will be picking up a bat and glove to play in little league across the country. This is a great time for youths to learn the fundamentals of the game, get comfortable swinging the bat and learning all about what it takes to be a great sport. But according to Bryce Harper, it’s also time to instill the importance of winning and that participation trophies aren’t cool.

The debate over participation trophies never seems to die. Some maintain giving out participation trophies gives the kids a sense of accomplishment, pride and confidence in what they were doing. Others maintain participation trophies are what’s wrong with this society and are one of the plagues of the world. There is no in between.

The Washington Nationals star and former league MVP addressed little leaguers saying, via ESPN, “As much as they might tell ya, Oh it’s ok you guys lost… No Johnny, no participation trophies, ok?!”

Harper never needed to worry about getting participation trophies when he played little league. He’s been a prodigy since he first laced up the cleats and obliterated every level of competition en route to being the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft and an eventual league MVP.

After a down year in 2016, Harper is back to his MVP form and has the Nationals playing as well as any other team in baseball and could be in line for his second MVP in the last three years. That’s a lot nicer than any participation trophy.

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What side of the argument do you side with on the participation trophy debate? Let us know in the comments.