Why do sports trophies and medallions look so hideous? Robin Benson, by email
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Readers reply
It makes coming second much more bearable. Simon
Because they are objects that perform no function. See also rich people’s jewellery. TopGyre
They have a clear function. Daveeed
Yes. To tell people how rich the wearers are. Gizmo10
I was talking about the trophies. Daveeed
But their form is mostly irrelevant to their function. In order to signify your tournament as more important than other tournaments, the trophy needs to be more spectacular in some way. So the tendency is to make them either bigger or more garish. They need to look valuable without actually being valuable, or the winners wouldn’t want to give it to the next winners. ReidMalenfant
They’re supposed to be big. Otherwise they just look unsubstantial, like the old World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet, or, even smaller, the Ashes urn. Maybe the size of the cup denotes how big a prize it is and how difficult it is to win, like the old European Cup. “Ol’ Big Ears”, as Cloughie called it. PeteTheBeat
Maybe because the designers got it so right so quickly, with the classic trophy design. Like the FA Cup. So any attempt to diverge ends up looking trashy, gimmicky and a bit needy. As someone else mentioned, the Ashes is a standout. It’s special to have a symbol that also stands in for the history of a sport and creates an impression of legacy. But it’s hopeless for waving over your head. StevefromNottingham
Completely agree. Each new trophy tries to do something unique to stand out from the crowd with little thought for design aesthetics. The perfect case in point is the awful trophies for the newer Formula One races. GlobalGaz
I like the Formula One racing trophies, usually. I think their uniqueness and relationship to the races’ locales make them special. Plus, they are kept by the winning team. The main Formula One world championship trophy has the winners’ names engraved on the rings, each ring encompassing a decade. Thus, creating a legacy trophy that is kept by Formula One. DallasWilliams
I was fortunate to know the legendary designer Kenneth Grange, and he mentioned working on a commission for a lawn bowls championship. He wanted to do something different and elegant, and set about photographing the act of bowling a ball from various angles. He developed a trophy that was a layered sequence of silhouettes showing the way the bowler moved. Naturally, the organisers said “thanks but no thanks” and bought a standard shiny pot instead! Nico Beastie Boyce
My favourite trophy is the cobble awarded to winners of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic cycle race. It’s also fun to watch skinny-armed pro cyclists hoisting a 12kg+ rock above their heads. Since they’ve just had their bodies battered for 260km (55km of which are on cobbles), it seems a cruel additional punishment! Caledon35
It’s pretty cool, and I also like the bike wheel trophy for the Giro di Lombardia. I suppose the ultimate cycling trophies are jerseys, though: yellow, pink, rainbow, that sort of thing. Corkerry
The trophy for the Giro d’Italia is beautiful and practical – a never-ending spiral of gold listing the winners’ names. MaggieMcP
When the trophies were mostly silver cups, size meant expense and importance. When the trophies became merely “shiny”, rather than silver, the largest trophies became much cheaper; good design remains as expensive as it ever was. The increasing number of big and hideous trophies, attractive only to certain individuals with a good taste bypass, is the direct result. leadballoon
The trophies at Henley Royal Regatta are very nice, especially the newer ones (mostly for the women’s events), which are stunning and modern. Of course, the winners only get to hold them briefly, take photos, and then they get whisked away. But then amateur rowing is a different sort of event from professional football. Eledhwen
The Stanley Cup is one of the best-looking trophies there is! Its enormous base is because every winner is inscribed. If you can’t drink out of it, what’s even the point? A trophy should be sturdy enough to survive a drunken mob. rbortolon
The Stanley Cup has survived numerous incidents involving drunken mobs. It’s had quite a colourful life and, after some touching-up, it still looks grand and stately. Not ugly. TravelinJones
I have to feel sorry for those other sports, then, if this abomination is better-looking than their trophies. marchino61
The Welsh Football League trophy is a thing of outstanding beauty. steffanjohn
As a Villa fan, what is this trophy thing you speak of? Is it like a unicorn? catchytitled
The pewter tankard we got when my wife and I won the Sidecar Class in the MCC Land’s End Trial in the 1970s is quite attractive – and usable. geoff1940
