Count me with like2rake. I don't think, for the competitive kids, these trophies mean a d*mn thing or will do a d*mn thing to diminish their competitive spirit. And, I don't have a problem with recognizing every kid on a LL-age team. It's just how you do it that matters.
My problem with participation trophies is that the people giving them out are so d*mn lazy. How hard is it to find ONE THING that each kid did that contributed to his or her team's winning, comaraderie, cohesiveness, etc.? Don't give away a cr*ppy, throw-away participation trophy, give each kid a few kind words that communicate that you (the coach, the parents, or preferably both) were paying attention and saw what they contributed to their team. THAT builds good teammates, and doesn't overly prop up kids who don't deserve it, for things they didn't do, in ways that only serve to p*ss off the "competitive fire" kids while making the others think they accomplished something they didn't.
This is kind of a tired debate. I'm not sure I am using the phrase correctly, but it seems to me that either side of this "participation trophy" debate has some "confirmation bias" in their argument. Those who think kids today are soft see these trophies as evidence confirming their pre-held beliefs, and those who think kids today need positive reinforcement to boost self-esteem see these trophies as confirming THOSE traits in young people. H*ll, if the research justbaseball describes is to be believed, even the researchers are torn on this.
I just don't think it is that big a deal. It is a much bigger deal if Mommy and Daddy raise that child to believe the trophy means something, and in my experience, very few kids ever believed those few parents who suggested that.