People watch or play sports for many reasons. One of the reasons is our love for the game. Trophies are not the most crucial aspect of the sport; however, they do play a significant role. It gives us a goal. It’s a symbol of athletes’ hard work and dedication. It’s a reminder of their achievements. Today we have prepared a list of ten most popular sporting trophy awards of all time.
1. Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded to the NHL playoff winner. It was named after Lord Stanley, a hockey enthusiast who donated the cup to Canada’s amateur ice hockey club. Each player on the winning team gets one personal day with the trophy. It traveled to many different countries and went through many interesting situations, including two trips to strip clubs, swimming in the pool, or baptism.
2. Olympic Gold Medal
The Olympic Games are one of the major sports events in the world. Representing one’s nation under the five rings is a great honor. Therefore, it’s no surprise that an Olympic Gold Medal holds great significance to all athletes around the world.
Introduced in 1904, the Olympic Gold Medal is made of at least 92.5 silver and 6 grams of gold. It’s awarded to those who finish first in one of the Olympic disciplines.
3. FIFA World Cup Trophy
The tournament takes place every four years and is, right next to the Summer Olympics – the most popular sporting event all around the world. The winning nation gets a replica of the trophy. A plate on the bottom holds the names of all the winning countries.
4. Wimbledon Trophy
Awarded to men’s singles winner, the Wimbledon trophy was first presented in 1887 by the All England Club. In previous years, the contestant who won the event three times in a row was allowed to keep the trophy. However, after William Renshaw won six times and kept both the Field Cup and the Challenge Cup, the AELTC decided that the winners would receive a three-quarter size replica and their name would be engraved on the original trophy.
5. Golf Championship Trophy
This trophy has been awarded to the winner of golf’s British Open (also called The Open Championship) since 1872. Its design had been inspired by the 19th century jug used to serve claret, a dry red wine. This is the reason why it’s also called the Claret Jug. The name of the champion is engraved on the jug next to the previous winners. The winner gets to keep it for a year, and then receives a replica after returning the original trophy before the beginning of the next championship.
6. WWE Championship Belt
It was first awarded to Buddy Rogers in 1963 for winning the professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the oldest championship currently active in WWE and had undergone many changes in the title.
7. Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy
The basketball team that wins every year battle in the NBA finals gets to keep this trophy. The design we know today was first presented in 1977 and was named after the founder of Boston Celtics. In 1984 when the NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien left his post, the trophy was renamed again.
8. Commissioner’s Trophy
It was first presented in 1967 to St. Louis Cardinals after they had won the World Series. The trophy awarded by the Commissioner of Baseball contains flags representing each team in the American League and the National League. A new trophy is manufactured each year.
9. Borg-Warner Trophy
Named after the automotive supplier BorgWarner, the trophy is given to the winner of the Indianapolis 500 after every race since 1936. The winner’s name, year of the victory, and the average speed is engraved on it. The actual trophy stays at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the champion gets an 18-inch tall replica.
10. Vince Lombardi Trophy
Each year this trophy is awarded to the winning team of the NFL. The first sketch for its design was made on a cocktail napkin in 1966, and was awarded to the Green Bay Packers a year later. The team had also won in 1968 and the trophy was named after their coach, Vince Lombardi.
Trophies can be used for motivation in many different fields, not only sport. People love to compete and they also love being rewarded. Everyone appreciates having their hard work recognized, so if there is someone you know that deserves a trophy, have one made for them.
