# Resolved: Sports trophies over 2 ft. tall look stupid and valueless

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sports-trophies-over-2-ft-tall-look-stupid-and-valueless/368638>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 14, 2006, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sports-trophies-over-2-ft-tall-look-stupid-and-valueless/368638 "2006-08-14T07:08:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sports-trophies-over-2-ft-tall-look-stupid-and-valueless/368638/21 "2006-08-15T04:15:54Z")

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[QUOTE=Sublight]  
Still, there’s something to be said for a trophy so big that only the winner is strong enough to hold it.

[![](https://www.sumoforum.net/img/DejimaNagoya99.jpg) ](https://www.sumoforum.net/img/DejimaNagoya99.jpg)  
[/QUOTE]

That’s practically [trophy fundamentalism.](http://www.courageouslake.com/Images/Uploads/110caribou.JPG) (Warning: Linked picture contains dead creatures. Someone will probably yell at me if I don’t note that.)

Really, what else is a trophy but an evolved, symbolic way of carrying off the skull of a beast you slew, and keeping it in your cave? (Or wearing it as a hat…depending on the trophy and the weather.)

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**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sports-trophies-over-2-ft-tall-look-stupid-and-valueless/368638/22 "2006-08-15T04:29:49Z")

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[QUOTE=Sunspace]  
I didn’t know that either. 🙂 I agree with **stuyguy** ’s approach: they should lop off _all_ the rings and put them in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and then mount the Cup on a block of crystal or something, with a plaque bearing only the current holders’ names. Each year after the Cup final, the NHL could place a new plaque on the Cup and retire the old one to the HHoF as well.  
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That’s a horrible idea. The Cup is just the right size to be hefted two-handed overhead. It just wouldn’t look right to see the NHL champs pressing a little cup over their heads.

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-sports-trophies-over-2-ft-tall-look-stupid-and-valueless/368638/23 "2006-08-15T15:26:09Z")

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I went to a local martial arts competition (as a spectator). They had many different groups - boys 7-10, girls 7-10, boys 10-13, girls 10-13, boys 13-15, girls 13-15, etc etc etc. They also had many different events. Open-hand kata, weapons kata, sparring, etc. there was a 1st place trophy for each event for each group.

A 4-foot-tall trophy. Very shiny.

Some of the events, like women’s sparring had about er…2 people in them. TWO. Meaning that if you signed up for this event you had a 50/50 chance of getting a 4-foot trophy just for showing up.

After surveying the situation I told my instructor we’d definitely be back next year and I’d be entering the women’s sparring competition. I liked my chances for getting a 4-foot trophy 🙂

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