Awards

There appear to be two philosophies when it comes to awards: those who want to
hand out trophies for every little accomplishment, and those who think a pat on the
back is just about right. So which side is right?

This question is an important one. The way in which you decide to hand out awards
can have an impact on a child’s motivation to participate in sports. Awards can either
enhance intrinsic motivation or cause an athlete to rely on extrinsic motivation. Cox
defines intrinsic motivation as “motivation that comes from within” while extrinsic
motivation is “motivation that comes from an external as opposed to an internal
source”(1), such as playing on the soccer team because you want the trophy
presented at the end of the season.

Trophies and medals are extrinsic rewards that can either enhance the intrinsic
motivation a child feels to participate in sports, or they can become the sole reason
that the athletes participate in sports, changing the child’s focus from intrinsic to
extrinsic factors. Extrinsic rewards can serve two functions: to provide evidence of
ability or to control (2). Once the athlete feels controlled by the trophy, or by getting
paid to play as in the case of professional athletes, intrinsic motivation decreases (1).
On the other hand, rewards that provide information can increase intrinsic motivation
(2). Helping an athlete develop intrinsic motivation can lead to them developing self-
determination and help them develop personal control and a sense of choice in what
they do. It will also help them to maintain the feeling of joy in participation (1).

If a reward is to be given, it must be viewed by the child as being given due to
competent performance in order to enhance intrinsic motivation. For example, the
very first season I played soccer we had the typical end of season party with pizza,
soda and trophies. However, my coach decided to find something special about each
player to award the trophies for, and all these years later I still remember that I got the
award for most improved defender. Feeling recognized for my effort intrinsically
motivated me to want to continue to play and improve even more on my skills as
defender (only somehow I ended up as a forward/midfielder!).

So if you decide to reward your youngsters in whatever form or fashion, make sure
that your reward is communicating something positive about the athlete’s
performance. A trophy for a team who wins first place in a tournament may take on
a whole different meaning than a trophy for a team who had a mediocre season and
all the participants know they had a mediocre season. Try to find and recognize
special qualities about the effort and skills of each player if you decide to use awards,
and make sure that you are honest and sincere in your recognition. Another
approach might be for the coach to acknowledge an accomplishment in private. This
method does not invite social comparison and helps the child to focus on his or her
individual performance, not on outdoing others (3).

References

(1) Cox, R. H. (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications (5th ed.).
Boston: McGraw Hill.

(2) Hale, L. (2005). Sport Psychology Class Notes: Module 3. Retrieved September
13, 2005 from http://uttc.blackboard.com

(3) Treasure, D. C. (2001). Enhancing young people’s motivation in youth sport: An
achievement goal approach. In G. C. Roberts, Advances in Motivation in Sport and
Exercise (pp. 79-100). Champlain, IL: Human Kinetics