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The Stanley Cup has often been referred to as the greatest trophy in professional sports. Standing at an impressive 3 feet tall and forged out of silver and nickel alloy, Stanley’s Cup is a sight to behold. Also impressive is that the cup the winning team receives is the same cup each and every previous winner has held. Unlike other professional sports, the NHL doesn’t make a new Stanley Cup every year, rather the original is passed from winner to winner collecting a novels worth of stories and scars along the way.

Even more spectacular is covering the layers of chalice the original cup sits upon are the names of the cups previous winners. Each and every player and manager to literally pour blood sweat and tears into the pursuit of the NHL trophy gets eternal glory emblazoned right on the side of hockey’s holy grail. And their reward for the ultimate victory? One night with the cup by their side… to drink from, to admire, whatever their wish each player gets to enjoy the spoils of victory for a single night.

The Vince Lombardi trophy is perhaps the most recognizable trophy in all of professional sports. Comprised of a football perched atop a pyramid shaped base. Although the trophy is said to be modeled after a football in kicking position it seems more aptly representative of its position at the top of the sports world, the pyramid a symbol of royalty and the ball displayed at the pinnacle. The entire trophy is made of sterling silver and weighs an incredible seven lbs. Each trophy takes over four months to complete, and is re-sculpted annually.

The Lombardi trophy is presented to the winner of the NFL’s Super Bowl each year. While the trophy is officially presented by the commissioner to the team owner, the most notable shots of the trophy are of it being hoisted above the head of the Super Bowl MVP. Only one trophy is awarded and it resides permanently with the game’s winner except for in one case where the city of Baltimore retained rights to the Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V trophy when the Colts infamously moved to Indianapolis overnight in 1984.

Sure baseball and basketball have their trophies for top dog too, but neither stacks up to these two monoliths. In comparison the World Series trophy seems fragile and delicate, dwarfed by the Stanley Cup and crushed by the Lombardi trophy. And to be honest, no one really knows or cares what the NBA trophy even looks like. For reference, it’s a ball situated on the brim of a cup, designed to represent a hoop. But it could just as easily be mistake for the world beer pong championship trophy or a misplaced Christmas tree decoration. Sorry guys, but when you’re weighing the best trophies in sports it comes down to only two.

Alright, so they’re both incredible chunks of metal, but which trophy claims the rightful position of mantle monarch? It’s a tough call to make. The Stanley Cup gets major points for being the one and only version. And the urban legends surrounding the players rendezvous with the trophy make it only that much cooler.

On the other hand, the Lombardi trophy symbolizes the best of the best. The NFL’s Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event of the year. That has to count for something. Plus, there is only one game in which a Super Bowl winner can be determined. There is no room for mistakes when pursuing the Lombardi trophy. Also, not that it matters but Superbowl tickets are virtually impossible to come by, and scoring super bowl tickets is every sports fan’s dream. However, getting a grip on either sporting event tickets has to be considered a big deal.

As far as this sports fan can tell, it has to be called a draw. Both trophies deserve the title ranking. At the very least neither deserves to lose, call it a split decision if you will. My personal solution would be to reinforce the fireplace mantle with two inch rod iron and display them both prominently side by side for the whole world to admire. Of course my solution only works with the gift shop replicas, but then again, it’s a start.