From childhood sports to major leagues across the world, trophies have been a part of history for a very long time.
According to the National Hockey League (NHL) the
Stanley Cup is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a sports franchise. Commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it’s named for Lord Stanley of Preston from Canada
Trophies have a long history of awarding accomplishments both in sports and other fields.
Ancient Chalices and Silver Cups
Among history’s most notable awards are those of the Olympic games in Greece. Winners of these games usually received a laurel wreath but those in local games received different types of awards, including a tripod vase, a bronze shield or a silver cup. By the 1600s, chalices were being given to winners at sporting events. Most of these ancient trophies were made of silver, gold or bronze. Nowadays, most trophies are made out of less expensive materials. Whatever it’s made of, a trophy serves as a token of victory, valor or skill.
Ancient War Trophies in Greece and Rome
In ancient Greek and Roman times, war trophies were common. But these weren’t like the usual trophies we’re familiar with in the modern world. Stemming from the Greek word tropaion, a trophy was a war memorial assembled from items taken from the battlefield. Rome also displayed cultural objects taken from war back home to claim victory. It’s still common for soldiers to return home with their personal trophies or souvenirs from battle such as enemy weapons, flags, etc.
Professional Trophy Awards in 2020
For the past century, or just about, we have seen professional trophies become the new normal. Just to a name a few notable ones: Academy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, etc. These professional association awards recognize outstanding working their respective field of endeavor. With corporate America booming in the past few decades as well, many companies hold their own awards ceremony each year.
