Only a complete Philistine would even try to argue that the Stanley Cup is not the most beautiful trophy in all of sports. While there are those out in the world who may look at Lord Stanley’s cup and give an audible “bleah”, these are also the sort of people who probably think that “Ugly Betty” is a reality show about surfer bikini models. While the NFL, NBA, and MLB don’t give their champions a prize that can compare with “The Cup”, each league has gone out of their way to create trophies that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also representative of the sports they represent. Then we have the World Series of Poker bracelet…Bleah!
First of all, has anybody ever asked the question regarding what a bracelet has to do with the sport of poker? Perhaps it is representative of the jewelry a lot of players had to pawn in order to play at the WSOP. For whatever reason, the bracelet is the big prize. The ship has sailed on any thoughts of changing that fact; it is now entrenched as the most prestigious award in the sport of poker. With that said, is there some rule that says the bracelet HAS to be ugly?
This bracelet could have been designed by the same maniac who thought the Pontiac Aztec was the height of automotive beauty and elegance. The WSOP bracelet is a chunky, uninspired, anchor of a bracelet that most non-poker people would think was awarded to someone’s whose K-9 just won the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. With so many women in poker now, one would have thought Corum would have designed something a little more stylish instead of a piece of jewelry one would feel comfortable spilling beer and pizza on. Maybe they should find the folks who designed the jewelry for the Lord of the Rings series of films, and let them have a go at it.
