Millennial Bryce Harper Says No To Participation Trophies

In the common telling of How Millennials Got to Be So Awful (by Some Baby Boomer), one of the major culprits is said to be the “participation trophies” that were handed out to all kids born between 1980 and 2000, depriving us of the hard lessons of life that can be learned through sports, and causing us to prefer flexible work schedules and eat avocado toast.

This is a myth, of course. I think I recall hearing of no-keeping-score youth sports leagues popping up in California in the 90s, and I do remember getting a small ribbon here or there that commemorated my participation in some baseball tournament or another. But I also remember my friends thinking that stuff was dumb, and I remember my youth baseball coach telling us we sucked (in a loving way), which gives me something in common with fellow Millennial Bryce Harper.

Sports are about having fun, but they’re only fun if there is something at stake. Take it from a Millennial.