NFL Linebacker James Harrison Says Participation Trophies Are Useless, Tells Kids to Earn ‘Real’ Ones

White House-dodging Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison took to Instagram over the weekend to share a bit of parenting advice after his two sons, aged 6 and 8, brought home defining symbols of entitlement: participation trophies.

Harrison, who was undrafted in 2002 and a long shot to make it in the NFL, was particularly bothered by the precedent these awards set in our everything-is-rainbows-and-unicorns culture:

Most commenters praised Harrison’s opinion, calling out a society that is harming young peoples’ work ethic, ability to set and achieve goals, and understanding of failure and success by undermining the essence of competition. Others, however, were more skeptical of teaching kids to approach everything in life like it’s a competition.

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