The same idea is the inspiration for the practice of immortalizing a winning run in a major sports tournament. When professional athletes get the crown in the major sports such as basketball, football, and baseball, as represented by the NBA, NFL, and MLB, they want to show off some of the most expensive and intricately designed championship rings.
This could comprise some of the bulk jewelry making and retouching projects because a team has a huge number of players and coaches.
History of the Championship Ring
The idea of giving out keepsakes as part of the prize for winning a championship has been around since the start of professional sports tournaments, specifically Major League Baseball. They usually give out pins or pocket watches.
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants were given the World Series ring when they beat the New York Yankees. It was a special win for them to beat their cross-town rivals and that was probably what prompted the owners to upgrade the keepsakes.
The championship rings became a true tradition for all teams in the 1930s, as the next editions were seen in 1932. It has become a fixture for every World Series winner ever since.
NFL Followed Suit
The National Football league (NFL) boasts the biggest annual single game TV spectacle in the Super Bowl. Time virtually stops for most of the United States when the championship game airs, and even the top musical acts aspire to be part of the halftime show.
It is only fitting that the winners of such an event be rewarded handsomely with shimmering hardware. The Super Bowl Ring is probably the most popular championship ring in professional sports today. It started right at the first Super Bowl in 1967, since they were following an ongoing tradition from the MLB. The Green Bay Packers were the first to take the crown and the rings, but one of the more curious practices among NFL teams is to try and outdo the past year’s ring design.
The championship teams continue to up the ante on the level of extravagance and intricacy of the Super Bowl rings, leading to an awesome gallery of ring designs. It truly is a bulk project because the NFL will shoulder the cost of as many as 150 rings. The winning team can choose whom to reward the rings, but it has to start with the players and coaches. They can also give rings to the staff or to the stakeholders of the team.
Notable Championship Rings
For the New England Patriots of 2015, they wanted to make their ring special, and their design led to a record cost of $36,500 per ring and totaled over $5 million for the entire team. That included Bill Belichick, who has the most Super Bowl Rings with seven, tied with Neal Dahlen.
In the National Basketball Association, the Golden State Warriors had an innovative reversible design for their 2018 Championship ring. It also had 74 sapphires on one side and 74 diamonds on the other side. This is to commemorate the 74 wins the team had that season, including the playoffs. That’s one way to incentivize your team to get more wins.
Championship rings are a professional athlete’s greatest dream. The designs and extravagance have since improved to make it worthy of such a distinction. They truly are worth fighting and winning for.
