Wizards' Kelly Oubre calls participation trophies 'crap'

You can sum up Kelly Oubre's feelings about the participation trophy in one word: "Crap."

The Wizards' youngster just finished his second year in the league, but doesn't want any accolades just for showing up. In an interview with Glenn Consor for Monumental Sports Network, the 21-year-old wing talked about a number of things impacting young people today, including social media, technology, and yes, the proliferation of participation trophies.

"My reasoning is because kids now, it's cool you're participating but it kind of hinders your strive to be get you have take some losses in order to know what it feels like," says Oubre.

"If everybody's getting a trophy, the MVP is going to look at everybody like 'hey, I put in the work, I did this,' you know? So the participation trophy, I understand it's to make the kids feel better and feel good for participating - 'good job' - but at the end of the day, reality's going to strike them even harder when they get to be 20 years old."

Oubre isn't the first person in sports to air their grievances about participation trophies. In the last year alone, both Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano have cast aspersions against the token medallions and plaques awarded for merely existing.

"When you get a participation trophy," Oubre continues, "you can settle for that. Some people would be lazy and just use that as a cop out like 'Okay, I got something. At least I got something.' You're not the only person who got something."

The whole interview is worth checking out, if not for Oubre's perspective on earning your successes in life, then for his anecdote about the time he was catfished through social media.