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State Bill proposes eliminating participation trophies from youth sports here in North Carolina

Many say it's not whether you win or lose; it's how you play the game. Yet a new bill proposed by the North Carolina State Senate would beg to differ.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Some State Senators in Raleigh have introduced a bill that has the entire sports world buzzing.

Recently North Carolina State Senators Tim Moffitt, Bobby Hnig, and Eddie Settle proposed State Bill 430. 

State Bill 430, proposes that all government-run sports organizations ban participation trophies.

To no one's surprise, there's a lot of opposition to the idea and today we went out to hear from some of our local youth coaches.

We all know that when you compete in sports, there are two possible outcomes. Either you win or you lose, but at the youth level, some believe the addition of the participation trophy has shifted the focus of sports from winning to just doing the best you can. 

Mark Johnson, has coached both football and basketball here in Guilford County for the last 20-plus years. He shared his thoughts on this proposal. 

"I feel like a kid should get something for finishing a full season with a team. If they came to practice all year and tried their hardest I have no problem with that at all... Then you've got some kids that are on teams that aren't successful because of coaching, it's not on the players they aren't successful it's about the coach and those kids deserve something", Johnson said. 

Chauncey Carter is also a youth coach here in Greensboro. He told us that he thinks that kids should get participation trophies up until a certain age. 

"You have to teach a winning attitude, you have to teach a winning mindset but you also have to let the kids know that you have to accept your losses also... When you start dealing now when you're dealing with 12-16-year-olds, they're looking for more than wins, they're looking for scholarships and looking to be the best at their position, and loses don't make you the best", Carter went on to say.

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