Trophies serve many, many purposes. They do everything from reward the victors at the top of the sports world to recognize the efforts of pee-wee football players. Here at Spike’s, we love everything about trophies. We love trophies so much that we make them. A lot goes into designing a trophy, too. There’s artistry and craftsmanship that must be appreciated.

Not every person is the same. Not every champion is the same. Some are better than others, and such is the case with the trophies they receive. We give you the coolest sports trophies ever.

1. The Borg-Warner

The Borg-Warner is awarded to the winner of the famed Indianapolis 500 (or, the Indy 500). The behemoth stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs over 150lbs. It has faces on it, too, commemorating all of its past winners.

2. NBA Championship Trophy

The NBA Championship Trophy (or Larry O’Brien trophy) is awarded to the winner of the NBA finals. It depicts a basketball going into a hoop. Kevin Garnett once screamed “Anything is possible!” after winning this bad boy in 2008.

3. Commissioner’s Trophy

The winner of the fall classic (MLB World Series) receives the Commissioner’s trophy. Fun fact: It’s the only championship trophy of the four major American sports that is not named after a person.

4. John Cena’s Championship Belt

John Cena’s WWE championship belt is awesome for a number of reasons, but the biggest is the spinner. As if championship belts couldn’t get any cooler, Cena goes and does this.

5. The Lombardi Trophy

The Lombardi trophy might be the most famous and sought after trophy in American sports. Named for the iconic coach, it is rewarded to the NFL’s Super Bowl champion

6. The Heisman

Everyone who watches football has done the Heisman pose at one point or another. This statuesque trophy is annually awarded to the best player in college football.

7. Olympic Gold Medal

Is there a trophy imitated more often than the Olympic gold medal? Probably not. You see the imposters everywhere, but the real thing is majestic, akin to the immortals.

8. The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is probably the coolest trophy ever, not just in sports. Its reputation alone is mythic. It’s been everywhere from bars to beaches. Like the Borg-Warner, it has the names of each of its champions etched into it.

We hope you agree with our list. If you need a trophy made for a champion, an overachiever, or if you just want one because you deserve it, contact us at Spike’s Trophies.

Spike’s Trophies has been honored to create awards for many celebrities and famous figures over the last several decades, and this year we were extremely proud to have been given the incredible opportunity to create a customized plaque for Pope Francis, during the monumental 2015 Meeting of Families and Papal visit in Philadelphia, PA. Serving our Philadelphia community and the nation for decades, we couldn’t be happier that we were chosen to represent both our city and our country.

About the Event
Taking place this year between September 25th and September 27th, the World Meeting of Families was an international Conference on the Family founded by St. John Paul II, and sponsored by both the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the Pontifical Council for the Family, in Rome and Vatican City. The event, which occurs every 3 years in different cities worldwide, brings together thousands of Catholics with the communal goal of strengthening families.
This year’s event was particularly monumental, as it marked the first visit of Pope Francis to the United States, one of only 10 apostolic journeys made to the country by Popes in its entire history. An estimated 850,000 people were present to celebrate mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sunday, September 27th.

About the Award
This plaque was carefully crafted by the experts at Spike’s to reflect our city, country and the esteemed position of Pope Francis. We used unique optic crystal to make this award striking and highlight the laser-etched text, which was carefully chosen to include the heading, and an excerpt, from the Declaration of Independence, as well as the World Meeting of Families logo.

The award was presented to the Pope by delegates from both the World Meeting of Families and the City of Philadelphia during his two-day visit to the city.

For this month’s famous award, and in the spirit of all the brotherly love following the Papal Visit, we’ve decided to keep things local by writing about the Philadelphia Award, a city-based, but nonetheless prestigious, award given out to the most distinguished Philadelphians for over 90 years.

The History
The Philadelphia Award was founded by Edward William Bok in 1921; after making his fortune in the burgeoning publishing industry, Bok started working towards the institution of progressive social movements, such as public sex education, prenatal education, childcare, environmental activism and more. He spent his time as a philanthropist working to improve society through both political action and the arts. The Philadelphia Award was intended for those who encapsulated his idea of model citizens by working to serve others and improve their surroundings.

The Honorees
The historic winners of the Philadelphia Award are given what has been referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Philadelphia,” and join over 80 other accomplished individuals in receiving the honor. Every year, nominees are selected based on their contribution towards the greater good of their community – the winner is the citizen who, during the preceding year, “acted and served on behalf of the best interests of their community.”
Industrialists, social activists, doctors, educators, lawyers, politicians, scientists, religious leaders, philosophers, artists and architects are listed among those who have received this award, which is given by a Board of Trustees, along with $25,000.

The Award

The Philadelphia award does indeed resemble the Nobel Prize, at least in that it is a relatively simple medal cast with simple information. The medal features the title of the award, date of its founding and image of a presumably famous native Philadelphian (at the time of the publication of this article, the name of this Philadelphian was regrettably not available online – though we welcome any of our readers who know to chime in in the comments section!)
To create your own medal for an honor-deserving friend, family member, loved one or colleague, consult with the experts at Spike’s!