OT (Sort of): Larry O'Brien -- He's No Lord Stanley

[That Aud Smell]

While I doubt that many folks ('round here) have been watching the NBA Finals, I wanted to relate the following observation, FWIW: During the Finals, each home team's mid-court line has been overtaken and obscured by a hulking image of the league's championship trophy. See, e.g.,

 

 

There've also been these segments that ABC's been running in-game (sorry, no linky), where star players from each team appear in a confessional-format interview, shot in black and white (except for the trophy, which appears as gleaming gold), where the players are given the trophy to have and to hold (and caress, and kiss -- I mean, Panettierre has nothing on these guys) and talk in the obligatory hushed, reverential tones about what it would mean to win this Ttrophy, how they grew up imagining what it would be like, how every game-winning shot they hit at a playground or school gym, in a driveway, was always imagined as being for the ... the ... uhm, wait, what's this thing called again? Line? Line? Can I get my line? ... Oh right, it was always imagined as being for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

 

Horse feathers.

 

To me, it's transparent what the NBA's trying to do: They're trying to manufacture a brand in the image of the Stanley Cup (the original and only genuine article when it comes to trophy-worship).

 

Good luck to Feck you, Mr. Stern.

[BetweenThePipes00]

I noticed that too .. not only does it look ridiculous on the court, by letting players who have never won it fondle and french kiss the thing in those spots, they are killing any chance of it holding the mystique and reverence given to the Cup ... winning teams my trash the Cup in celebration, but those who have not won it have the utmost respect and many refuse to even touch it or get a photo taken with it. When the NBA itself obviously does not respect its own trophy this way, they have no hope of ever having it be placed on the same level as the Cup.

[Eleven]

I don't really care what the NBA does or tries to do, as it isn't going to affect me, but I'll note this: I know who Lord Stanley and Vince Lombardi (the other two "major" sports championship trophies named after people) were. I have no idea who Larry O'Brien is or was, and I'm not going to bother using google to find out, either.

[nobody]

There is only one Stanley Cup. The rest of these leagues tend to create a new trophy each year to give to the winner - do they not?

[That Aud Smell]

There is only one Stanley Cup. The rest of these leagues tend to create a new trophy each year to give to the winner - do they not?

you know, that's a great point - maybe i didn't have (still haven't had?) enough coffee before starting the topic. and i think you're absolutely correct - i think that if you were to visit the 49ers'/bulls'/red sox's front offices, you'd see their lombardi/nba-champ/world series trophies. great point.

[Taro T]

There is only one Stanley Cup. The rest of these leagues tend to create a new trophy each year to give to the winner - do they not?

Not quite true. Technically there's 3 of them. But I get your point. There is the one that goes on ice in the Finals and to the players' pools and beds, there is one that lives in the HHOF, and there is the original bowl that also lives in the HHOF.

[That Aud Smell]

Not quite true. Technically there's 3 of them. But I get your point. There is the one that goes on ice in the Finals and to the players' pools and beds, there is one that lives in the HHOF, and there is the original bowl that also lives in the HHOF.

True, true, of course.

 

But while technically there's three of them (but just the two of the modern era?), in spirit, there is the one trophy that belongs to "the people" and is held in trust by vanguards of the game (the HHOF guys with the white gloves). No franchise gets a replica to plunk in their trophy case.

 

Come to think of it, is it much the same with all of the trophies in the NHL? (I tend to think that it is.)