Here's my take on it...if a kid's parents pay a fee for the kid to play (Little League, P-Nut Football, etc.) the kid should see the field. But, if the kid isn't one of the best players, he should see minimal playing time set forth by the league. I know in P-Nut football when I was growing up kids 8-10 were eligible for crunch bunch and 10-12 were eligible to play with the regular P-Nut team. The 10 year olds determined their placement by their ability. Plus, the crunch bunch only played at halftime of the regular games. In Little League Baseball, players who weren't very good still got to play 2 innings in the field and (hopefully) got at least 1 at bat. IMO, that's plenty in a game situation...cuz on the field in a game isn't where a player gets better..that happens on the practice field. As far as scores go, I think score should be kept on all levels of play. Teach the players early on that their performance or lack thereof will be displayed on the score board...and that only the winners will get to hoist a trophy in the end. That's how life lessons are taught through sports. When players graduate from a level of play, IMO it's OK to give 'em something to recognize that (patch, certificate, etc) but save the trophies for the winners. I don't know how it is now, but back in the day even if you won a championship you didn't get a trophy. The only trophy was used year after year, and it was just engraved with your team's name and the year you won the championship and displayed in the school somewhere..the players got a little medal, a patch for participation and a patch for being champions..and that was it. But really, that's all they need.