Whatever happens to these trophies sportspeople win at big events?
Posted by tennisplanet on January 12, 2009
Like what will happen to Borg’s and Federer’s five Wimbledon trophies say hundred years from now? They toiled and overcame tremendous adversity, competition and what have you to win those. Will all that hold any meaning to their children and grand children?
Or will that be just another item for the next generation to make some money off of? I bet some lesser ones are being sold at garage sales all over the world right now for pennies. Laver’s children and grand children are just waiting for grandpa to kick the bucket and then to find out who will get which one in the ‘will’ to put it on e-bay or Craig’s list for quick cashola.
For all you know they may have already gotten the rights to them in exchange for not dumping Laver into a retirement home.
Maybe Borg was right in attempting to sell the trophies and use that money while he is still out of a retirement home and sane enough to enjoy whatever that cash can bring. Why let someone else enjoy at your expense? These trophies are not doing anything on the shelf anyway, except boosting your ego.
Besides, selling them doesn’t erase your name on the board as the winner of the competition from the books.
If that’s solved and understood by everyone now, bidding on the trophies should then, from now on, start right after the award ceremony. You think that will boost attendance and the competition amongst players to produce their best tennis? You freaking betcha!!!!
How about hiring the auction guy with his typical pitch right after the final match,with fans holding placards just like in an auction? Why waste time and depreciate the asset? Win the trophy, auction the trophy 10 minutes later, take the cashola and have fun.
Who freaking cares for that trophy except you and your mother? Rest are all eyeing it for the money. Beat them to it and be smart.
While you are at it, auction off all your clothes too, down to the under garments along with the racket. I mean if you are in it, why do a half-ass job? Take every penny you can before the sun sets. Trust me, if people can fight for a sweat laden wrist band, undergarments will be welcomed.
So the goal is to walk off the court nude with nothing in your hand or bags. That in itself is another source to raise cashola for the players and ATP, but that’s whole another post with WTA and more.
Jenny said
lol TP, great post as always. I am inclined to agree with you on this one. As you say, it doesn’t erase the name on the board, so surely a nicely framed photo of the board[s] would suffice, take up less room and it has to be better than the real trophies being consigned unceremoniously to the attic or garage in a box, the cup ones ending up as a mice nest. If they are sold by the kids for a good or needed reason, I don’t see a problem. I’m realistic enough to know that our son is not sentimental enough to spend time gazing at, or polishing my husband’s small trophies or have them cluttering his home. If he considers one big enough to hold a pint or other useful purpose, he might keep it.
leo said
Oh, yes.
Claire said
My friend and I just had a conversation about all the junk we save and never use or look at. My friend’s motto is “if you don’t use it or look at it for 2 years, dump it!”.
But I do think those trophies would be special to a child or grandchild. Not all trophies but maybe the GS’s that you Dad or Grandfather won! Those are the “big” one’s you need to keep and display!
Being tennis nuts in my family, we have hung old tennis rackets on our wall – wood ones,etc. We do look at those and think they are neat! They would be even neatier if they were used by someone, maybe Federer or Nadal?
Gracie said
Well, there ARE tennis museums around, and a family could always donate the trophies. I’ve been to a few Hall of Fame inductions, and the players allow the museum there there set up displays of all their trophies and other memorabila for viewing. I have to say the glass case with its pyramid of nine Wimbeldon plates for Navratilova was quite impressive. As were the handwritten notes from the Duchess of Kent, along with her ‘lucky’ tennis dress. I’d hope that tennis families would choose to donate those collections back to tennis history and make that kind of stuff available for viewing, rather than letting it all collect dust in some attic.
Jenny said
Good idea, Gracie, certainly for famous GS winners.
Stella said
maybe it depends on how much you win. I cherish the few singles trophies I won at my club because I usually was the runnner up. I remember reading recently that Billie Jean, who was my idol as a kid, had given away her Wimbledon trophies to friends. Yes, her name was still on the record books, but these were Wimbledon trophies, not just any tour event. I think thst if anyone was to ask me if there was one fantasy in life that I could ever live I would say that it would be to play just one game of tennis on centre court Wimbledon and just touch the Venus Rosewater trophy. I cannot imagine how anyone, who doesn’t need the money, could give them away.