Coaching, Soccer
The Price of Achievement: Why Equality, Meritocracy, and Fairness Matter in Developing Leaders and Champions
Oct
In the world of young performers—whether in athletics, academics, or the arts—an essential truth must be preserved: recognizing hard work and merit. As we raise the next generation of leaders, Olympic champions, and responsible citizens, embracing the lessons a meritocratic system can teach is vital. This principle fosters individual growth and instills the values of fairness, hard work, and humility—critical components in building a stronger, more resilient society.
However, what happens when merit is undermined by token gestures (and perhaps public shaming), like replacing a well-deserved award with something as trivial as a juice box? The answer reveals a more profound issue about how we shape our future leaders’ values.
The Lessons of Meritocracy
At its core, meritocracy means that individuals are rewarded based on their abilities, efforts, and accomplishments. It is a system that teaches young people that success is earned through dedication and perseverance. These lessons are essential for creating Olympic champions and producing responsible American citizens who understand the value of hard work, fairness, and respect for others.
In competitive environments—whether on the field, in the classroom, or a professional setting—meritocracy fosters a healthy sense of competition. It builds character as young people learn that their achievements are tied to their efforts and performance. This understanding is critical when cultivating leaders who realize success requires resilience, persistence, and humility.
Take, for instance, the development of Olympic champions. These athletes understand that there are no shortcuts to greatness. Every medal earned represents years of sweat, discipline, and overcoming adversity. In the same way, American citizens who grow up understanding the price of achievement carry that ethic into every aspect of their lives, whether in public service, entrepreneurship, or simply being contributing members of society.
The Absurdity of Giving a Juice Box Award
But what happens when a child who has far and away overperformed is given a juice box instead of the beautiful award their peers receive at an awards ceremony? This scenario is not only absurd but also profoundly unfair. The optics of such a situation send the wrong message—not just to the individual but to every child in attendance. It tells them that their hard work doesn’t matter. It devalues merit and sets a precedent that can undermine confidence and drive.
Imagine these scenarios:
- What if one person at the Oscars didn’t receive an Oscar but was given a juice box instead?
- What if an Emmy nominee was presented with a juice box while their peers held the golden statues?
- What if an Olympic champion stood on the podium after an incredible achievement, only to be handed a juice box instead of a medal, and was told they should feel honored?
- What if a valedictorian, who had spent years studying and achieving top marks, didn’t receive their diploma but a juice box at graduation?
- What if a soldier, wounded in the line of duty and deserving of the Purple Heart, was handed a juice box instead?
- What if an individual who sold more than double the next employee didn’t receive a bonus and a plaque but was presented with a juice box at the company awards ceremony?
- What if you (as an adult) stood up in front of your peers in a group of award winners and were awarded a juice box instead of a trophy or plaque?
I can come up with these hypotheticals all day. Think about it. There is no scenario where this is acceptable. It screams public shaming or an award meant to diminish that individual’s efforts and can negatively impact confidence and respect. We all must play along and watch as our son sacrificed on the alter politics or be blackballed from the sport.
The absurdity is stark. In each of these examples, replacing a meaningful award with a token gesture diminishes the significance of the individual’s achievement. It cheapens the ceremony and sends a damaging message about what sacrifice and success genuinely mean. It could be interpreted as a public shaming, a message that you are different and not genuinely deserving.
The Impact of Such Actions
If receiving a juice box is an honor, why give out plaques during the awards ceremony? Why not just award juice boxes to everyone? Why recognize achievements if we cannot differentiate between outstanding performances accomplished under great duress and mediocrity? These scenarios highlight the contradiction in our treatment of some individual’s merit and achievement.
- It screams that for some, no matter how outstanding their performance was, they are somehow different and thus not deserving.
- It screams that your efforts are not valuable and that your team should not respect your efforts.
- It screams of unfairness and political nonsense. Perhaps the child is undeserving of recognition because they didn’t play a cookie-cutter style, thus upsetting the sensibilities by overachieving.
- It screams of bias.
- It screams – bad optics.
When young performers see one of their peers—who worked hard and achieved significantly—treated this way, it erodes their understanding of fairness. They learn that their efforts might not be rewarded appropriately and that excellence may be dismissed or trivialized. Over time, this could discourage young people from pushing themselves to their full potential. Why strive for greatness if, no matter your efforts, your reward is a juice box? Why not just focus on politics rather than performance? Based on my experience producing multiple world and Olympic champions, it is the opposite of a meritocracy. It does not produce champions or individuals of character.
The Price of Achievement
Authentic achievement comes with a price. It requires sacrifice, discipline, and resilience. By recognizing this, we show young performers that the path to success is challenging but rewarding. They learn the value of effort, the importance of fairness, and the humility that comes with knowing you’ve earned your place at the top.
Leaders, champions, and citizens shaped by meritocracy understand this truth. They know that recognition is not a birthright but something that must be earned. When we fail to honor this and substitute meaningful awards with trivial tokens, we do a disservice to the individual and society. We inflict injustice on the young hearts that are bravely striving.
By treating young performers equally and rewarding them based on merit, we create an environment where hard work is celebrated, fairness is prioritized, and achievement is understood as a reflection of effort. More importantly, it enables the athlete to take critique as an expression of love and desire by the coach to improve the athlete’s performance. It develops the vital trust required for the coach-athlete relationship that fosters excellent performances.
It is not just about the award itself but the message that comes with it: that the road to success is paved with hard work, dedication, and perseverance. It says that no matter your race, socioeconomic background, gender, religious affiliation, age, or politics, your value is determined by the work you put in and the performance you generate during critical competitive moments. It says, “Well done!”
Conclusion
Giving a juice box instead of a well-earned award (while others received a beautiful plaque) is not just absurd but psychologically harmful. It undermines the values we seek to instill in the next generation of leaders, Olympic champions, and citizens. It inspires the question of public shaming of someone who is not in a politically favorable position and whose effort (no matter how outstanding) will never be enough. It provides an excuse and implicit permission for those jealous of their accomplishment to disrespect him (and in soccer, that results in fake passes or no passes at all – sabotage). Merit and achievement must be recognized in a way that honors the hard work and dedication it represents. If we want our young people to grow into responsible, hardworking, and humble leaders, we must give them the recognition they deserve when they achieve. After all, if we don’t value excellence, why should they?
Keep the juice box tradition for aftergames and practices where it belongs. It should have a positive connotation. Please do not do it at an awards ceremony, where it could have a negative connotation or be a contrast to those who deserve authentic and respectful recognition.
In my decades of competition and coaching, I have seen it all. I know what this smells like. When I said that, I was confused about why my son received a juice box when the other award recipients received a beautiful plaque. I lied. The problem is that I have too much experience in sports to be gaslit.
Coach Paris Amani
Former:
Captain United States National Taekwondo Team
Captain United States Olympic Training Center Team
Coach and Trainer of Multiple World and Olympic Champions
United States Olympic Training Center Athletes Advisory Council
Houston Olympic Bid Committee Board Member
Father of Wayzata High School’s Leading Scorer
Ares Amani | #21 – 21Goals Fall 2024 Season
