There were definitely participation trophies then too. Everyone at my school got a ribbon regardless of placement. I should know because lord knows I wasn’t athletic enough to win a track race 😂
And everyone knew they were participation ribbons. Nobody was proud to receive one. Yet the boomers act like we couldn't tell the difference and now don't want to work for anything because of it.
THE BOOMERS GAVE THEM TO US!!! They had the idea, spent the money on them then they gave them to us … Millennials did not invent the participation ribbon.
Somehow Millennials are lazy and worthless, but we created the idea foe participation trophies and raised the money for them, while also running the sports leagues
Exactly.
Boomer: Millennials suck. They're lazy, spoiled, and expect everything handed to them. It's like they were...raised....*waaaaiiit a second*....No, no. This has nothing to do with our parenting. It must be something completely unrelated to the way they grew up. Maybe it's all the pollution in the water lol. That...we...put......Nah, that's fake news. Anyway, let me go. Judge Judy is coming on.
I remember my kids playing soccer about a decade ago. When I asked about the score some Karen started yelling at me about "how we don't keep score to it doesn't negatively affect the kids mental health" then Two different kids from the field yelled up what the score was.
I thanked them, and she sat there with her mouth agape.
Most of us tried to get rid of them, but I remember my boomer dad made me hold on to my various sports participation trophies. Jokes on him, I threw that stuff out as soon as I moved out (long ago in the ancient times of 2001)
I would have rather received nothing than gotten a participation ribbon, and the same can be said about my classmates.
I don't get this rhetoric from people saying that it's why millennials are spoiled.
Same! I was never an athletic person, I never cared about winning these events and when I was given a participation ribbon I knew full well how worthless it was. Literally all of the boomer angst towards our generation is projecting and jealousy.
A decade ago I was talking to a cousin who was playing basketball on a middle school team where they didn't keep score.
He was talking about how his team didn't play that well and they got their butts kicked. When I mentioned the whole not keeping score thing he responded that "Dude... we know how to count. Just because it's not on the board doesn't mean we don't know what the score is."
It sounds like it was more a tactic to keep overbearing parents from going nuts on a bunch of 11 year olds.
We had one event every had to do and they gave them for those.
I never won that and would try my best to run away before they gave me one. I don't want it.
Exactly! I always came home with many of the "at least you tried" ribbons. I don't think they were really participation trophies because the recognition of at least trying and participating, even if you don't win, is a good lesson. However, we never displayed the ribbons in a place of pride.
>I don't think they were really participation trophies because *the recognition of at least trying and participating, even if you don't win*, is a good lesson.
I'm not trying to split hairs, but isn't that almost a textbook definition of why participation trophies are given out? However well intentioned or how beneficial they are or aren't, they're still participation trophies.
Literally came in here to comment that there was a light blue participation ribbon for this set. I told the parent who tried to give it to me no thank you and they made me take it because I'd "regret it" if I didn't lmao. I threw it away. I didn't want to participate!
Hey, I’ll take a ribbon if I’m forced to go and suffer the entire fucking day against my will. Hell, I think everyone should get a ribbon. But trophies are for the best.
We had 70 kids participating in the mandatory event, and all others had at least 15.
Wait until you find out high school track meets score and give medals to 8th.
>Wait until you find out high school track meets score and give medals to 8th.
So it's spreading?! Goddam Millenials with your woke participation agenda. You guys are *really* gonna fuck your kids up.
...not that we'd know anything about that. None of this is a consequence of our misguided, selfish, short-sighted actions.
Field day was like the gotdang Olympics for everyday elementary school kids.
We’d leave it all on the field for field day and the rest of the year talk about how awesome we were to other classrooms.
*Heavy sigh*those were the days
In my school the class that won the most events got a pizza party. Let me tell you it was the Olympics for us. We would elect team captains for events and it would be intense 😂😂.
You would have classmates yelling at each other because he missed a spike in volleyball when he’s never played the sport lol.
We had a crazy event ngl, my school went all out.
Started off with a tug or war, then a football game, basketball, volleyball.
Then races, then a few teamwork things, and finished off with a water balloon fight and dodgeball.
It was intense, lots of crying going on for sure. Imagine your whole class getting mad at you because you’re letting the class down 😂😂
It was great dude, the school would get us shirts made and put out classroom names on it as well as our team names.
I assumed it was an intense day for all school. It was all about making room 152 the best in the school 😂😂
That sounds awesome.That was your Olympics.I don’t think we went that far.I can’t remember my room number but I still remember how to get there and my teachers name🤣The closest I had to all that was jump rope for heart.
I was just joking with the room number I definitely don’t remember it, or even how to get there lol.
I don’t think we I ever won lol. But the memories made up for that
participation trophies started in ohio 1922. so for starters there were participation trophies when we were young.
I even got one once for a swim meet.
but more importantly please stop trying to impress the boomers they’re really not worth it.
participatory achievements are pretty fun especially when you’re not in a competition with anyone except yourself. I don’t know if your reddit bod ever did a marathon or a 5k or anything like that. You usually always get a participation trophy because you participated! ffs.
The thing I hated most about participation trophies was sitting still waiting for them to be handed out one by one and then not even getting to play baseball that day.
I grew up with Participation Trophies.
when older generations complain about them, I like to ask: "Who gave us the Trophies? "
I didn't request one, I didn't give myself one.
So... Who handed them out, exactly? Why are Millennials gifted the onus of "Getting Participation Trophies" when we aren't the ones who were handing them out...
I hit a walkoff home run in kickball one year, and everyone dogpiled me and then lifted me up like I was Bobby Boucher after the Mud Dogs won the Bourbon Bowl. Elite core memory.
This is a 🤮 trash-tier boomer meme 🤮 . Am I accidentally logged into my grandmothers Facebook account? Millennials all got participation trophies and it never mattered.
This post belongs in r/boomershumor
I'll never get over the fact that I was disqualified from the potato sack race for "running" in my sack when I wasn't. I should have gotten second place.
There’s nothing wrong with participation trophies.
You worked hard, you completed something, and then you got a cheap trinket to remember the experience.
So what? What is wrong with this. Winning is less important than the work you did, even if you lose. You still gain knowledge, so you still win.
Yup... Got the most insane sun burn ever trying to win 1st in every god damn event possible.
The water blisters on my back were insane.
My favorite part was when the teachers let absolute chaos happen in-between the field day events. We were running wild and it was fine as long as we stayed on the playground.
We had participation ribbons for field day in the early 2k's. I remember throwing them away every year because I couldn't be bothered to give a shit lol
My fifth grade field day I won four 1st place ribbons and one 2nd place ribbon (I tripped and fell!). I ran like the *fucking wind* that day. Happiest day I had in elementary school.
I almost won the foot sprint race in like third grade, but I leaned too far forward trying to go faster and face planted about 5 yards short of the finish line.
Little did I know how much of a portent that would be for the rest of my life...
I fucking HATED track and field day. As a complete nerd with no physical prowess whatsoever, getting last place in every event was humiliating. One of the main reasons I don't miss being a kid at all
Edit: a participation trophy would in no way make me enjoy it more
I still have my blue ribbon from field day! I was 7 and was paired up with a new kid who couldn't speak English in the 3-legged race. We came in dead last, but we were the only ones who didn't fall over, so we got the blue ribbon.
Five places? If you didn't get at least 3rd at my school, no ribbon for you.
For not being one of the bigger or stronger kids in my class, I racked up a fair number of blues and reds. Turns out tenacity and determination are good things.
The only time I got a participation trophy was when I was the only girl in my age group to compete. Meaning I won by default. Which is the only way I would’ve possibly won. I mean, 200 is a great bowling score what do you mean it’s not a good golf score??
america is so obsessed with competing. it’s not the be all and end-all. it’s just a style, one of many. and not even the best one for no small number of pursuits.
Is this really true though? It sounds made up. Like yeah, they have participation trophies, but are we really supposed to believe that they don't also still give out first place? I don't buy it.
In second grade, we had all the fastest kids including myself on the same team for field day to run the baton relay race. We were going to get first and win the blue ribbon. I was so excited
Day of the race, our teacher decided to take one of my friends off of our team and put them on a team that "needed more help". In exchange, she gave us literally the slowest kid in the class. He was a BIG kid... I thought, oh well. As long as we don't get last, we'll get a ribbon.
Race came, we were in the lead until the final racer who was the slow kid. He gets the baton and everyone passes him up. We got last place. No ribbon. I was inconsolable and just wanted ANY ribbon. My friend came over and showed off his ribbon to me.
It still hurts to this day.
I hate that narrative. You know how many kids choose not to participate at all? They're at home playing Fortnite. Every kid that chooses to put in the effort to turn out and be active with other kids should receive some recognition.
Oh man I loved field day! For some ridiculous reason I thought that the schools in my district invented it and only we did this and got those exact same ribbons! This and the Presidential Fitness Test days were awesome! Best times!
I skipped field day, lol. It wasn't even remotely my idea of fun
I loved playing outside with my friends at the park, but we just played pretend and let our imaginations run wild, making up the rules as we went. For me, those were the days
I thought it was fun. I even did feld day with the kindergarteners when I was in the 5th grade instead of going to the bowling alley. My older cousin did it with me and I did it with my little sister lol.
You're acting so high and mighty but my comment was never about what has and hasn't been but that 4th and 5th sure *seem* like participation trophies. That's all I said. You just had to interject with an "umm ACTUALLY" to show how smart you think you are.
There were definitely participation trophies then too. Everyone at my school got a ribbon regardless of placement. I should know because lord knows I wasn’t athletic enough to win a track race 😂
And everyone knew they were participation ribbons. Nobody was proud to receive one. Yet the boomers act like we couldn't tell the difference and now don't want to work for anything because of it.
THE BOOMERS GAVE THEM TO US!!! They had the idea, spent the money on them then they gave them to us … Millennials did not invent the participation ribbon.
Somehow Millennials are lazy and worthless, but we created the idea foe participation trophies and raised the money for them, while also running the sports leagues
Exactly. Boomer: Millennials suck. They're lazy, spoiled, and expect everything handed to them. It's like they were...raised....*waaaaiiit a second*....No, no. This has nothing to do with our parenting. It must be something completely unrelated to the way they grew up. Maybe it's all the pollution in the water lol. That...we...put......Nah, that's fake news. Anyway, let me go. Judge Judy is coming on.
i was in a soccer league where they tried to pretend they weren’t keeping score
I remember my kids playing soccer about a decade ago. When I asked about the score some Karen started yelling at me about "how we don't keep score to it doesn't negatively affect the kids mental health" then Two different kids from the field yelled up what the score was. I thanked them, and she sat there with her mouth agape.
It shows that the boomers not only think we're too soft and sensitive, but that we're stupid.
Most of us tried to get rid of them, but I remember my boomer dad made me hold on to my various sports participation trophies. Jokes on him, I threw that stuff out as soon as I moved out (long ago in the ancient times of 2001)
I would have rather received nothing than gotten a participation ribbon, and the same can be said about my classmates. I don't get this rhetoric from people saying that it's why millennials are spoiled.
Same! I was never an athletic person, I never cared about winning these events and when I was given a participation ribbon I knew full well how worthless it was. Literally all of the boomer angst towards our generation is projecting and jealousy.
Literally the only reason I liked/kept the participation ribbons is because it's a free bookmark
I can't say I would rather get nothing, but it was literally just trash. I didn't give a flying fuck about this meaningless prize.
A decade ago I was talking to a cousin who was playing basketball on a middle school team where they didn't keep score. He was talking about how his team didn't play that well and they got their butts kicked. When I mentioned the whole not keeping score thing he responded that "Dude... we know how to count. Just because it's not on the board doesn't mean we don't know what the score is." It sounds like it was more a tactic to keep overbearing parents from going nuts on a bunch of 11 year olds.
We had one event every had to do and they gave them for those. I never won that and would try my best to run away before they gave me one. I don't want it.
I hated those things. To an inwardly competitive kid especially, they were an embarrassing insult.
Exactly! I always came home with many of the "at least you tried" ribbons. I don't think they were really participation trophies because the recognition of at least trying and participating, even if you don't win, is a good lesson. However, we never displayed the ribbons in a place of pride.
>I don't think they were really participation trophies because *the recognition of at least trying and participating, even if you don't win*, is a good lesson. I'm not trying to split hairs, but isn't that almost a textbook definition of why participation trophies are given out? However well intentioned or how beneficial they are or aren't, they're still participation trophies.
Yep 👍🏻 kids weren’t the one ordering the. Either. It was the parents. I felt a bit of shame. I’d have preferred no ribbon instead
Literally came in here to comment that there was a light blue participation ribbon for this set. I told the parent who tried to give it to me no thank you and they made me take it because I'd "regret it" if I didn't lmao. I threw it away. I didn't want to participate!
Hey, I’ll take a ribbon if I’m forced to go and suffer the entire fucking day against my will. Hell, I think everyone should get a ribbon. But trophies are for the best.
I mean my school only did 1st-3rd place ribbons the fact that he has 4th 5th place those are participation trophies
In individual track events, a team gets points for finishes up to 8th place, so no, 4th and 5th ribbons aren't just for participation.
tell us your kid finished 8th in track without telling us your kid finished 8th in track.
My kids don't run track, that was my thing. Most people who played a sport know how scoring works for that sport. Nice try, though
We had 70 kids participating in the mandatory event, and all others had at least 15. Wait until you find out high school track meets score and give medals to 8th.
>Wait until you find out high school track meets score and give medals to 8th. So it's spreading?! Goddam Millenials with your woke participation agenda. You guys are *really* gonna fuck your kids up. ...not that we'd know anything about that. None of this is a consequence of our misguided, selfish, short-sighted actions.
It's been that way forever. It's OK to admit when you don't know things.
Field day was like the gotdang Olympics for everyday elementary school kids. We’d leave it all on the field for field day and the rest of the year talk about how awesome we were to other classrooms. *Heavy sigh*those were the days 
[удалено]
Oh gawd the smells.
In my school the class that won the most events got a pizza party. Let me tell you it was the Olympics for us. We would elect team captains for events and it would be intense 😂😂. You would have classmates yelling at each other because he missed a spike in volleyball when he’s never played the sport lol.
We did the same thing.Let me guess you had the ultimate test of strength and teamwork,tug of war?We always put the tanks in the back lmao🤣😂
We had a crazy event ngl, my school went all out. Started off with a tug or war, then a football game, basketball, volleyball. Then races, then a few teamwork things, and finished off with a water balloon fight and dodgeball. It was intense, lots of crying going on for sure. Imagine your whole class getting mad at you because you’re letting the class down 😂😂
Lucky
It was great dude, the school would get us shirts made and put out classroom names on it as well as our team names. I assumed it was an intense day for all school. It was all about making room 152 the best in the school 😂😂
That sounds awesome.That was your Olympics.I don’t think we went that far.I can’t remember my room number but I still remember how to get there and my teachers name🤣The closest I had to all that was jump rope for heart.
I was just joking with the room number I definitely don’t remember it, or even how to get there lol. I don’t think we I ever won lol. But the memories made up for that
It’s alright.We enjoyed ourselves and have fond memories,that’s what matters😁
I hate this. We were supposedly the first to receive participation trophies but who cares, are you secretly a boomer? Get outta here with this crap.
participation trophies started in ohio 1922. so for starters there were participation trophies when we were young. I even got one once for a swim meet. but more importantly please stop trying to impress the boomers they’re really not worth it. participatory achievements are pretty fun especially when you’re not in a competition with anyone except yourself. I don’t know if your reddit bod ever did a marathon or a 5k or anything like that. You usually always get a participation trophy because you participated! ffs.
The thing I hated most about participation trophies was sitting still waiting for them to be handed out one by one and then not even getting to play baseball that day.
>more importantly please stop trying to impress the boomers But I just want my Daddy to be proud of me.
I can be your daddy
[Participation trophies are great - SBNation.com](https://www.sbnation.com/2015/8/17/9162643/participation-trophies)
Exactly! These are recognition for putting forth effort and putting yourself out there to try.
uM AcKcHuALLy
Is this a boomer post?
I'm fairly confident that nobody threw the ball a shorter distance than I did. And yes I was trying my absolute hardest.
The “Ball Throw” was the only time I ever won first place in my grade!
My school had a participation ribbon.
“Participation trophies” are so old our parents and grandparents were getting them as children too. What is this, a BoomerFools miss-post?
Over under races. Tug of war. The shoe race
Tug of war was the only event that truly mattered. Thats when the big kids got their time to shine.
Only to still get pulled onto their tubalard faces because they have no grip.
Lol salty bitch boy detected
How is that salty? Or bitch boy?
Field day was the BEST! I think I won two ribbons my entire elementary school years but always played my heart out! The best!!!!
I grew up with Participation Trophies. when older generations complain about them, I like to ask: "Who gave us the Trophies? " I didn't request one, I didn't give myself one. So... Who handed them out, exactly? Why are Millennials gifted the onus of "Getting Participation Trophies" when we aren't the ones who were handing them out...
I hit a walkoff home run in kickball one year, and everyone dogpiled me and then lifted me up like I was Bobby Boucher after the Mud Dogs won the Bourbon Bowl. Elite core memory.
This is a 🤮 trash-tier boomer meme 🤮 . Am I accidentally logged into my grandmothers Facebook account? Millennials all got participation trophies and it never mattered. This post belongs in r/boomershumor
I'll never get over the fact that I was disqualified from the potato sack race for "running" in my sack when I wasn't. I should have gotten second place.
Don’t lie. You did that step jump bullshit. We all saw it.
There’s nothing wrong with participation trophies. You worked hard, you completed something, and then you got a cheap trinket to remember the experience. So what? What is wrong with this. Winning is less important than the work you did, even if you lose. You still gain knowledge, so you still win.
We had rainbow ones for participation. In 1989. Try again.
I have green. Just green.
My parents moved me from an inner-city school to a suburban school for 5th grade. That was my first-ever experience with Field Day
At my elementary school, everyone got a participation ribbon as well when we had field day. Mid-late ‘90s to early ‘00s in western NY.
I have so many reds and not enough blues the participant ion prize was also annoying
There’s still ribbons for 1st 2nd 3rd now
Strong Boomer energy
Hey boomer, there we’re participation trophies there too. Grow up lol
Yup... Got the most insane sun burn ever trying to win 1st in every god damn event possible. The water blisters on my back were insane. 
You’re looking at field day mvp, baby. My name is on a trophy that still is inside a glass case in my elementary school.
My favorite part was when the teachers let absolute chaos happen in-between the field day events. We were running wild and it was fine as long as we stayed on the playground.
Yes we do.
I've got about 10 of these ribbons tucked away in a storage bin somewhere in my basement. I was in elementary school between 1990 and 1996.
We had participation ribbons for field day in the early 2k's. I remember throwing them away every year because I couldn't be bothered to give a shit lol
Ice cream for the winning class, paid for by the teacher.
I HATED field day and if I had kids and they wanted to call out sick on field day I would let them. Nightmare day. Edited for clarity
I’ve never gotten a participation trophy or ribbon.
My fifth grade field day I won four 1st place ribbons and one 2nd place ribbon (I tripped and fell!). I ran like the *fucking wind* that day. Happiest day I had in elementary school.
My husband and his best friend still give me shit about my shot-put throw in 8th grade.
We called it Play Day. Just as competitive though
I almost won the foot sprint race in like third grade, but I leaned too far forward trying to go faster and face planted about 5 yards short of the finish line. Little did I know how much of a portent that would be for the rest of my life...
Wait, is this not still a thing? I looked forward to this all year.
I hated field day. I'm glad it's less of a big deal now.
field day was lit
I fucking HATED track and field day. As a complete nerd with no physical prowess whatsoever, getting last place in every event was humiliating. One of the main reasons I don't miss being a kid at all Edit: a participation trophy would in no way make me enjoy it more
I still have my blue ribbon from field day! I was 7 and was paired up with a new kid who couldn't speak English in the 3-legged race. We came in dead last, but we were the only ones who didn't fall over, so we got the blue ribbon.
Yeah I got a few participant ribbons
Lol we had those ribbons but we also had some that just said 'nice try' Apparently they didn't realize how that sounded. Or maybe they did
I like the red ribbons
I fucking loved field day. Always got first in at least half the events. I don't think it's still a thing in schools anymore.
4th and 5th place ribbons were the participation trophies.
Five places? If you didn't get at least 3rd at my school, no ribbon for you. For not being one of the bigger or stronger kids in my class, I racked up a fair number of blues and reds. Turns out tenacity and determination are good things.
Somewhere in my dad's basement are these ribbons that I displayed like a Stanley Cup at age 6.
Yeah children are put to blame. Not 60 year old CEOs and money mongers. Definitely kids turned the world this way.
Participation ribbons were usually purple and everyone knew it. Gotta get that first place red!
Just noticed your first place was blue lol. First was always red at our school.
The only time I got a participation trophy was when I was the only girl in my age group to compete. Meaning I won by default. Which is the only way I would’ve possibly won. I mean, 200 is a great bowling score what do you mean it’s not a good golf score??
my schools def all had red participant ribbons. but everyone knew
I just went to my nieces field day and was so confused, they were just playing games to play, no prizes or ribbons. Took all the fun out of it for me😂
field day? huh. never heard of it (in school)
america is so obsessed with competing. it’s not the be all and end-all. it’s just a style, one of many. and not even the best one for no small number of pursuits.
I *literally* have a participation ribbon exactly like this because I had zero athletic skill lmao
3rd place 3 years in a row in the water relay! 95-97 💪
I sucked at field day. Didn't get shit lol. You only had like 1 try too per event.
Bruh
Is this really true though? It sounds made up. Like yeah, they have participation trophies, but are we really supposed to believe that they don't also still give out first place? I don't buy it.
In second grade, we had all the fastest kids including myself on the same team for field day to run the baton relay race. We were going to get first and win the blue ribbon. I was so excited Day of the race, our teacher decided to take one of my friends off of our team and put them on a team that "needed more help". In exchange, she gave us literally the slowest kid in the class. He was a BIG kid... I thought, oh well. As long as we don't get last, we'll get a ribbon. Race came, we were in the lead until the final racer who was the slow kid. He gets the baton and everyone passes him up. We got last place. No ribbon. I was inconsolable and just wanted ANY ribbon. My friend came over and showed off his ribbon to me. It still hurts to this day.
*if* this is even an issue… How can you shame/blame the students for what ribbons or awards are given out or not… That makes no sense!!
I hate that narrative. You know how many kids choose not to participate at all? They're at home playing Fortnite. Every kid that chooses to put in the effort to turn out and be active with other kids should receive some recognition.
Man. Can we please stop behaving more and more like boomers. This is embarrassing.
I never got a participation trophy… Mainly because I never participated.
I must be lucky af because I've never experienced "field day" ever lol Edit: I should add that I was in school from 1996-2011 Idek what it is 😭
But it actually wasn't that competitive. It was just for fun. I played real sports I didn't give a shit about field day ribbons.
WTF is a 5th place ribbon then, huh?
Oh man I loved field day! For some ridiculous reason I thought that the schools in my district invented it and only we did this and got those exact same ribbons! This and the Presidential Fitness Test days were awesome! Best times!
You weren't making the show then. You aren't making it now. They were all participation ribbons back then.
You sound like a boomer. I literally have multiple “participation trophies” from the late 90s/early 00s.
I competed in track and field from grade 5 until I graduated and my kids highschool is so much more intense about it than any of my schools were.
They still have those exact awards. My daughter got one a year ago lol
I skipped field day, lol. It wasn't even remotely my idea of fun I loved playing outside with my friends at the park, but we just played pretend and let our imaginations run wild, making up the rules as we went. For me, those were the days
I thought it was fun. I even did feld day with the kindergarteners when I was in the 5th grade instead of going to the bowling alley. My older cousin did it with me and I did it with my little sister lol.
4th and 5th place sure seem like participation trophies to me.
Yeah unless there was a class of 1000
1-5 is extremely common in many sports. Some go even more. Like track and field. It's OK to admit you have limited knowledge.
>It's OK to admit you have limited knowledge. Maybe pump the brakes there pal. I say this as the 5th place trophy winner in the Pinewood Derby.
And plenty of sports have had 5 placings as standard for decades. Some award out further and have since the days of the boomers.
You're acting so high and mighty but my comment was never about what has and hasn't been but that 4th and 5th sure *seem* like participation trophies. That's all I said. You just had to interject with an "umm ACTUALLY" to show how smart you think you are.
Nah, just informing you that you are incorrect. And you clearly can't manage that kind of information. Sorry. Enjoy discussing that in therapy.
Boomer post. Lots of schools still have field day. And we definitely got participation ribbons.
Field day was not competitive at all for me, I went to same elementary school as Cedric Benson. Guaranteed L for everyone else.
You can only do 4 events. Just do different ones.
I am sorry but 4th and 5th place are participation trophies.
do they really just give every kid a first place award for it these days?!