Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and usually afterwards serves as proof of merit. They are most often awarded with sporting events. These range from youth sports through professional level athletics. Often, the reward of the trophy is not simply in winning it; rather, those who win it cherish the legacy that also comes with the trophy.
Medals are often given out either instead of or along with trophies, such as gold medals, silver medals, and bronze medals for in sport.
Etymology
French trophée, from Old French trophee, from Latin trophaeum, monument to victory, variant of tropaeum, from Greek tropaion, from neuter of tropaios, of defeat, from tropē, a turning, rout.
Trophy types
Trophies can take the shape of two-handled cups, bowls, or mugs (all usually engraved); statues of people, animals, and architecture while displaying words, numbers or images. Cheaper trophies are based on a platform of sturdy cardboard resembling wood.
The Academy Awards Oscar is a trophy with a stylized human; the Hugo Award for science fiction is a space ship; and the Wimbledon awards for its singles champions are a large loving cup for men and a large silver plate for women.
A loving-cup trophy is a common variety of trophy; it is a cup shape, usually on a pedestal, with two or more handles, and is often made from silver or silver plate.
Human trophies were sometimes used in ancient warfare. After battles, some armies practised penis removal of defeated warriors to wear these as trophies or in order to count the dead. Usually though only the foreskins were taken.
Hunting trophies are reminders of successes from hunting animals, such as an animal's head mounted to be hung on a wall.
Sporting
Some sporting trophies include:
- Wimbledon Cup — Awarded to the Wimbledon Champion
- Borg-Warner Trophy — Awarded to the Indianapolis 500 Champion
- FIFA World Cup — Awarded to Football's World Champion
- Webb Ellis Cup — Awarded to Rugby Union's World Champion
- The Ashes — The oldest and most revered rivalry trophy in the sport of Test Cricket, contested biennially between England and Australia.
- Bledisloe Cup — Awarded annually to the winner between New Zealand and Australia, Rugby Union's greatest rivalry.
- Calcutta Cup — Awarded annually to the winner between England and Scotland in Rugby Union
- America's Cup — Awarded to Yacht Racing Champion
- Heisman Trophy — Awaded to the NCAA's Most Valuable Player in College Football
- BCS Trophy — Awarded to College Football's National Champion
- Stanley Cup — Awarded to the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Champion
- Commissioner's Trophy — Awarded to Major League Baseball's World Series Champion
- Vince Lombardi Trophy — Awarded to the National Football League's Super Bowl Champion
- Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy — Awarded to the National Basketball Association's World Champion
- Football League Championship Trophy — Awarded to The English Football League's Champion
- Grey Cup — Awarded to the Canadian Football League's Champion
- McClelland Trophy — Awarded to the Australian Football League's Home & Away season / Minor Premiership champion.
- Old Oaken Bucket — A college football rivalry trophy
- TNA X Cup — Awarded to the X Division Champion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Mann Cup — An Indoor Lacrosse trophy awarded to the senior men's lacrosse champions of Canada.
- Steinfeld Cup — Awarded to the Major League Lacrosse Champion
- Champion's Cup — Awarded to the National Lacrosse League Champion
Trophies are also called micktal in Greece because it came from one of their gods
Military
The United States military also issues a type of trophy which are known as "non-portable decorations". This indicates that the trophy carries the status of a military award, but is not meant to be worn on a uniform but rather is presented for static display. Such military trophies include athletic excellence awards, unit excellence awards, and superior service awards presented annually to the top service member of a command.
Hunting
In hunting, although competition trophies like those mentioned above can be awarded, the word trophy more typically refers to an item made from the body of a killed animal and kept as a keepsake.
External links
- Daytona 500 Trophy History- Website with history of the Daytona 500 Trophy
- Trophies to purchase- Website with Trophies to purchase
- Trophies site- Website with Trophies
- Stanley Cup history- Website with official NHL history of the Stanley Cup