Gridiron Bling: A Peculiar History of Super Bowl Rings

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.  When it comes shamelessly over the top sporting events, the Super Bowl is peerless. A February staple in the American sporting calendar sees a four-hour extravaganza watched by an estimated 200 million people around the world. In the States, the Super Bowl is a nationwide cultural occasion. The sort of thing that forces electricity boards to steel themselves—a mass event that makes a noticeable mark on the economy. Advertisers must pay $7m for a 30-second ad slot, and—by far my favourite Super Bowl stat—the poultry industry alone sees 1.5 billion wings eaten in one night.The Super Bowl transcends its sport, with non-football fans drawn to the spectacle. The fireworks, the A-listers, the multi-million-dollar half-time show. You don’t need to know your sack from your safety to enjoy the festivities. In Britain, we save our pomp and ceremony for royal occasions. But over the Atlantic, the glitz and the glamour are to be found in elite sports. Their kings and queens aren’t born in palaces; they’re made on turf. But these sporting monarchs don’t wear crowns on their heads. In American sports, the treasure is to be found on the fingers of its champions. It’s a tradition that is almost a hundred years old, and it’s one that has created as many off-field capers as on-field legends. It’s time to unwrap the history, the allure, the craft, and the intrigue behind Super Bowl’s championship rings. Quotes:Jason Arasheben, Jason of Beverly Hills“It's deeply rooted in American education. When people graduate high school, they get a high school ring. When you graduate college, you get a college ring. There's a lot of fraternities and social clubs where they get a membership ring. The ring symbolises something. And it transitioned its way into the world of sports. They wanted something to celebrate their victory, a testament to their accomplishment. And I think that if you go back 50 years, they had rings, but they were very small and understated. Whereas now it's less of a practical piece of jewellery and more of a trophy to celebrate.”“When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl we had numerous clients on that team, including Tom Brady, who went to the ownership and said they wanted to have something different.”“The Tampa Bay ring was the first championship ring with a removable element. We needed as much real estate as possible on the ring to tell a better story. That’s why we created a removable top.”“The LA Rams ring was probably my favourite ring. Not only did the top come off, but we also had a piece of the ball that was used in the Super Bowl. On the inside of the cap, we did a statuette of the stadium. And on the field, the green that's on the field is made up of remnants of the actual turf the players played on. There are so many storylines and easter eggs within that ring that it makes for an amazing storytelling experience when you're showing the ring.”“Some owners will give one to every single employee, down to the person who's sweeping the floors. Every employee that did anything for the Rams, Mr. Kroenke and his family delivered them a ring. Which was amazing.” Explore moreBuy tickets to see Unsung live at the Morpeth Book Festival. Alexis James: Not All Heroes Wear Kits at Morpeth Library.https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/morpeth/morpeth-library-at-leisure-centre/alexis-james-not-all-heroes-wear-kits/2025-03-22/12:45/t-eadxejpVince...