Championship ring

A championship ring or premiership ring is a ring presented to members of winning teams in North American professional sports leagues, and college tournaments.

Championship rings are mostly confined to North American sports. Since only one championship trophy is awarded by the league to the winning team, championship rings are distributed as a memento for the players and team officials to keep for themselves to symbolize their victory. Winners' medals (and runners-up medals) are not awarded in North American professional sports, in contrast to Olympic sports and European club association football tournaments such as the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. Championship rings are distributed by and paid for by the winning team (although some leagues may partially subsidize the cost), in contrast to medals which are awarded and paid for by the league or competition governing body.

Championship rings have long been part of North American sports lexicon. An individual's number of championship rings, rather than number of championship trophies, is often used by sportswriters as a tally of a their personal success, since it is more appropriate to write that it is the team/franchise/club and not the individual who wins the championship trophy (i.e. number of NBA championship rings rather than Larry O'Brien Trophies won by former NBA coach Phil Jackson). In North American sports vernacular, a player's aim of wanting the "ring" is synonymous with winning the playoff league championship, and it has entered popular lexicon (retired basketball center Shaquille O'Neal was quoted as saying "My motto is very simple: Win a Ring for the King", former NHL goaltender Patrick Roy remarking "I can't hear what Jeremy says, because I've got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears").

The four best known (and expensive) championship rings are the ones from the "Big Four" major professional sports leagues in North America; the Major League Baseball's (MLB) World Series ring, the National Basketball Association's (NBA) championship ring, National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl ring, and the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup ring. In North American sports, besides rings to commemorate winning the league championship game/series, rings are often presented to the championship game/series finalists (such as MLB's NL/AL champions and the NFL's NFC/AFC champions), and conference championship game/series winners. There are also individual rings given to All-Star Game participants and inductees into a hall of fame.

Championship rings are typically made of yellow or white gold with diamonds and other precious stones. They usually include the team name, team logo, and the championship number (usually indicated in Roman numerals for the NFL's Super Bowl wins). Championship ring policies differ between the four major professional leagues. NHL and MLB owners pay for the cost of the rings. The NFL pays up to $5,000 per ring for up to 150 rings for teams that win the Super Bowl. Teams can distribute any number of rings but must pay for any additional costs, and may offer lesser rings at their discretion. The NBA standardized its championship ring from 1969 through 1983; presently the winning team selects its own design and the league covers the cost of the rings.

The winning team can typically present rings to whomever they choose, including usually, but not limited to: players (active roster or injured), coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general staff. In the NHL, since the Stanley Cup has limited space and stringent criteria, rings are often presented to current players who may not qualify to have their name engraved on the Cup. Some teams have also been known to give rings to former players who are not officially part of the winning team, including those who have been part of the roster for part of the title-winning season but traded away or waived before the playoffs (a common practice among MLB teams, where Arthur Rhodes, Bengie Molina, and Lonnie Smith played in the World Series against a team they played for earlier in the season, guaranteeing them World Series rings regardless of the series outcome). Retired players, coaches, and executives not involved with the team in an official capacity have received rings too, particularly those with a long tenure and/or having fan favorite status. Occasionally, rings are even raffled or auctioned to fans, usually as part of a charity fundraiser.

A recent trend over the last 15–20 years has been lesser rings awarded to front office staff. These are commonly called "B" and "C" level rings and are smaller and contain fewer diamonds or contain faux diamonds. The first instance of this was the Redskins Super Bowl XVII ring when many in the front office received rings that were not solid gold and contained cubic zirconia stones (which resemble diamonds). When Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII, the players and coaches received rings with a diamond-centered Lombardi trophy. Some staff received rings with a metal Lombardi trophy and real diamonds surrounding the trophy and the "C" level ring did not contain any diamonds. The Toronto Raptors had five tiers of rings created to commemorate their 2019 NBA championship, with 20 top tier rings (worth a reported $100,000 CAD or $150,000 CAD each) made for players and key staff, while 20,000 fifth tier replica rings (worth around $20 CAD each) were distributed to the audience at Scotiabank Arena during the championship banner-raising ceremony at the 2019–20 season home opener. The ring manufacturer also makes replica rings, pendants, and other accessories derived from the championship ring design for sale to the general public.

L.G. Balfour of Attleboro, Massachusetts and Jostens of Minneapolis, Minnesota are the two companies that have produced the majority of championship rings for the four major professional sports leagues. Tiffany & Co. and Intergold (now a Jostens subsidiary) compete with Balfour, Baron, Signature, and Jostens in the design and manufacturing of championship rings. Tiffany has been gaining momentum with NFL teams, having made the Buccaneers XXXVII, Giants XLII, Saints XLIV, Giants XLVI, and the Seahawks XLVIII rings. Baron Championship Rings designed and manufactured the 2016 NBA champions Cleveland Cavaliers rings (at the time the heaviest NBA championship ring ever made, weighing in at 165 grams and 105 pennyweights) and the 2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors rings (presently the largest-ever championship ring). Jeweler Jason Arasheben has also designed several championship rights, including some with removable parts (e.g., the top of the ring can be converted to a necklace pendant).