Here in Guyana, for the last 40-odd years, we have been deluged with hours of American television programming to the point where local aficionados have begun to identify with professional sports teams as though they are actually living in those cities, whether it be the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, or the NFL’s New England Patriots of Boston, or Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. Whilst watching the finals of these professional sport leagues, the hard core fans’ conversations will inevitably meander to the subject of the possible design of the rings to be presented to the eventual champions, and soon followed by a much heated debate of the most impressive rings awarded in the past.
The traditional English way of recognising the victors of sporting competitions has been the presentation of a trophy to the winning team and medals to the players, a practice which was duly emulated here as a result of our colonial connection. In North America, the convention at the conclusion of the final game – professional basketball, baseball and ice hockey are best-of-seven affairs as opposed to the NFL’s one-off Super Bowl – is the presentation of the trophy amidst joyous scenes of celebrations. At the first home game of the following season, the players, trainers, coaches and managers (all of whom have been correctly sized) receive their rings during the ceremonial raising of the championship banner.
Surprisingly, this ritual of token rings has its humble origins in Canada. In 1893, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association was the inaugural winner of the Stanley Cup, which was presented to the outstanding Canadian ice hockey team as determined by a playoff. The organisation ordered simple commemorative rings, similar to wedding bands, for the players, which were engraved with a crossed pair of hockey sticks. This venture was short-lived and did not become an annual feature in the hockey world until the 1960s. The tradition of awarding rings to professional sports teams on an annual basis began after the New York Giants swept their city counterparts, the New York Yankees, 4 – 0, in the 1922 Major League Baseball World Series. Prior to this development, players were rewarded with fancy cuff-links, pocket watches and tie clips.
As more and more television and advertising dollars have flown into the coffers of professional North American sports teams, the more ostentatious the rings awarded to championship teams have become. Every year, the diamonds on the championship rings seem to increase in number and size. It’s all about the ‘bling’ as rappers are apt to chant. Who bears the cost of this grandiose largesse? The four professional leagues vary in their policies with regard to the cost and distribution. The MLB and the NHL underwrite the total cost of the rings presented, while the NFL will cover the cost of 150 rings up to US$5,000 per ring, with the team paying for any additional costs. Although the NBA has a standard design for the rings, it allows championship teams to select the materials and customise their rings with the league covering the expenses.
The cost of these ‘miniature bling trophies’ hit the roof in 2019 when the Toronto Raptors won their first title. The players’ rings were set with the largest diamond ever on a sports ring: 1.25 carats. Diamonds form the Toronto skyline above the word ‘North’ spelled out in diamonds on a golden chevron (team logo) on the face of the ring, which has a total of 74 diamonds representing the number of wins during the season. The ring has a further 566 diamonds (for a total of 14 carats) and 16 rubies (playoff victories) and is estimated to be worth more than US$150,000.
It was probably with this historical backdrop in mind that the organisers of the 2021 Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/ Kashif and Shanghai Organisation Super-16 Championship decided to award a ring to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. In a press release prior to the competition, the GFF stated that the MVP award would be a 14-carat gold and diamond ring valued at $520,000. Colin Nelson of the Guyana Defence Force was selected as the MVP of the event, which was held between 12th December, 2021 and 2nd January, 2022, and was duly presented with the ring.
In last Friday’s edition of this publication, an article in the sports section relayed that a source close to the GFF, speaking on the condition of anonymity revealed that the ring had been appraised at an independent reputable jewellery establishment earlier this year. The owner of the ring was duly informed that the ring, which was composed of seven pennyweight of 14-carat gold, contained no diamonds and was valued at only $80,000. The ‘bling’ are either zirconias, or what is known in local parlance as ‘sweet man’, and are worthless. The GFF and the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation were subsequently informed of this hideous discovery.
When the owner of jewellery establishment from whence the ring was procured was contacted by this newspaper, he stated that the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation had asked for a donation to the tournament, and he had presented the ring but never stipulated any actual value as to its worth. Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, Co-Director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, in a comment to this newspaper stated that he had been notified of the issue surrounding the authenticity of the ring and the concerns had been resolved. Efforts to contact GFF President Wayne Forde, who was photographed receiving the ring from a relative of the owner of the jewellery establishment, and Kashif Muhammad, Co-Director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, proved futile. The source added that the GFF is currently in possession of the MVP ring.
At this juncture in time, there are the usual questions for the GFF Executive to answer. Who provided the initial value of the ring? Why didn’t the GFF have the ring independently appraised before making the announcement that it was worth half a million dollars? What steps are being taken to remedy this latest embarrassing blunder? Will the GFF and the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation issue a public apology to Nelson for this farce? Do they have any intention of presenting Nelson with a ring worth at least the originally declared value? The fact that the GFF has had possession of the MVP ring for quite some time and has said, or done nothing, does not augur well for a decent resolution to this debacle. Will they do nothing and just wait and hope that this latest catastrophe blows over soon? We patiently await the GFF’s course of action.
If local sporting organisations are going to adopt the North American custom of presenting rings for MVP awards or to championship teams, they should take note of this shambles. The minimum standard should be the commissioning of rings from only recognised jewellery establishments whose products bear their hallmarks and certificates of authenticity. A simple design would suffice since ‘bling’ is not a requisite. The ring should be clearly engraved on the face to mark the occasion. For instance, GVF 2023 Club Final – Guyana Volleyball Federation Club Championship Final – with the date engraved on the inner part of the shank, near the hallmarks. It goes without saying that these mementos should be presented to the winners in standard jewellery boxes. Perhaps some organisations might want to step it up a notch here, and order boxes custom made out of one of the many species of wood we have available here.
