Sport isn’t simply entertainment, it’s a serious business with global repercussions in many cases. Governments around the world are well aware of the impact that sport plays in distracting, amusing or aggravating their populations but most of all – they’re aware that supporting sports which their demographic is skilled at is a must for winning over votes.
With this in mind, governments and sporting bodies (like FIFA or the NBA) pour hundreds of millions of dollars into promoting events, building stadiums and paying exorbitant salaries to players. Still, despite all this the investment is undeniably worth it. Sport gives nations a constructive (usually) outlet for their competitive urges against other countries and helps to promote a feeling of nationalism. Sometimes it may seem to go a little far though, as with the costs behind the following trophies.
Super Bowl Trophy – $50,000
An impressive $50,000 is spent every year to create a new Super Bowl trophy, since the item is permanently taken home by the winning team after having their roster engraved on it. The trophy is made from sterling-silver by Tiffany and Co. It’s nearly two feet tall and is shaped like a kick-ready football with the words “Vince Lombardi Trophy” and the NFL shield engraved onto the base. Estimates say that the item takes 72 hours to complete.
The Stanley Cup – Approximately $650,000 (due to related costs)
This renowned trophy has come a long way from its humble beginnings when then governor Lord Stanley paid the equivalent of $48.67 to import a silver plated punch bowl to reward Canada’s top rated hockey club. The current incarnation of this ever changing item now stands at nearly three feet high and weighs more than 34 pounds. Unlike most sporting trophies, this one features the names of just about every member and associated person with the winning team, including the coach aids (all that’s possibly missing is the water boy).
The current cup is reportedly made from 95 percent pure silver and five percent nickel, so it shouldn’t be as expensive as other trophies which are crafted in gold but the cost of this particular one also factors in the travel fees that it accumulates. The trophy makes a stop in every home of every member of the winning team and the supporting staff as well. This pushes the airfare and associated travel costs up to an obscene level and makes the Stanley Cup the sluttiest trophy in the world.
The FIFA World Cup – $20,000,000
Yes, that’s right – a whopping 20 million for this finely crafted, 18 karat gold trophy. Weighing 11 pounds of pure gold this particular item, understandably, doesn’t get handed over to individual players to take home after the game – this despite the fact that most of them wouldn’t bat an eyelash at 20 mil. Rather than take on this massive responsibility (and stress) the team is given a gold plated replica and the original resides in the FIFA vault.
Although the price tag seems insane, it’s somewhat more reasonable when you consider that football is the most played sport on the planet, with the most followers too.
Warren Kings is an online content writer who writes various content concerning technology, wedding rings, automobiles and Engagement rings.