A Champion is Only as Cool as His Trophy

Every sport has some form of a championship, and the winner of the championships is always awarded a trophy. But which sport has the coolest and most distinctive and most prestigious Trophy? I’ve created a list of the top 5 trophies according to me. Many different trophies come to mind when creating this list, but there are only a handful of trophies that truly prestigious, like The Commissioner's Trophy presented to the winner of the World Series, or the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy presented to the Winner of the BA finals, or the various trophies that come with winning any of the 4 major championships from Golf and Tennis, or The NABC Championship Trophy awarded to the winner of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but these are not as prestigious as some of the ones I thought of.

Most would think I would say the World Series trophy because baseball is my favorite sport, but in the united states, major league baseball is the third most popular sport behind the NFL and the NBA, even though Baseball is America’s National past time. I think that it is a cool trophy, but not one of the most prestigious.

5. AFCA National Championship Trophy

This trophy is given annually to the winner of the NCAA BCS football champion. Even though it has only been given away since 1986, there is something about that Crystal football that makes so special to win and hoist it up after wards with confetti and fireworks. The trophy has attended 135 games, traveled to 49 different stadiums and 15 different teams have won the trophy since 1986. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be a recruit coming in and to see this $30,000 dollar trophy made of Waterford crystal and to inspire me that much more to want to hold one of my own. It truly is something special for American college football fans, especially if your team wins it.

4. The Green Jacket

Even though the winner of the Masters tournament receives a gold medal and have their names engraved on the actual silver Masters trophy, to me The Green Jacket is the actual trophy and has more meaning. There is no other trophy in sports that is not an actual solid trophy that has more meaning and significance than when the previous winner puts that jacket on the new champion. The green jacket is so prestigious that the winners don’t even get to keep it. It stays in the club house and is worn when the winners come there to play.

3. The Vince Lombardi Trophy

The Super bowl is arguably one of if not the biggest game and weekend in sports in America. The super bowl is huge, and everyone is set watching it every year. But I have the Vince Lombardi trophy third on the list; mainly because I don’t think that it’s the most coveted trophy by the players. The NFL is full of diva’s and show boaters and all about me type players, and a lot of players do play for that Super Bowl Trophy, but I also feel that a lot of players don’t. Even though most of them would say they would like to win it, I still think a lot of players are focused on their stats. One other thing that holds back the Vince Lombardi trophy, is that it is solely confined to the United states.

2. The Stanley Cup

The NHL is the 4th most popular sport in the United States, and even so, I have the Stanly cup as the number 2 most prestigious trophy. Hockey is a different sport with a different attitude than most other sports played in the states. In Hockey, the only thing they care about is the Stanly Cup, nothing; else, it’s all about winning the Cup. The Stanly Cup is one of the most recognizable trophies and also hold important significance is the world of Hockey. Players skate around on the ice hoisting the cup above their heads, smoking Cigars, drinking out of the cup, and then get their names engraved on the cup, instantly immortalizing them in the sport as champion. Plus, I think that 90% of players of players would rather win the Stanley cup, than an Olympic gold medal.

1. FIFA World Cup

The FIFA world cup is bigger than the Olympics. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and with a tournament that only occurs every 4 years makes this trophy even more desirable to win. In the United States, we have 4 major team sports, but all around the world, soccer is the sport that dominates. Every 4 years, the world cup is around for 1 month from June to July, and all 32 countries playing in the tournament come to represent their country the best they can, and everyone from that nation alive in rare forms to support their country and their team like no other sport. The qualification process that teams go through is much more demanding than that of any other team or individual sport. The qualification process can start as early as almost three years before the final tournament and last over a two-year period, which is much tougher than a 162 game season, or 82 game season or 16 game season. Plus soccer is one of the most athletic sports and is much more strenuous because of the constant running for 90 minutes. Because of the rarity of the of the tournament, the tough qualification and how big the sport is worldwide, the World Cup is the most prestigious trophy.