Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** The American Museum of Natural History’s upcoming exhibition, “For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence,” opens May 15, showcasing iconic sports jewelry and trophies from the past 150 years, including the 2021 MLS Cup Trophy won by New York City FC.
The American Museum of Natural History’s “For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence” exhibition will open May 15, featuring famous jewelry and trophies in sports history. The Philip F. Anschutz MLS Cup Trophy, won by New York City FC in 2021, will be on display. (Image courtesy of New York City FC)
New York—The American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibition to highlight some of the most famous pieces of jewelry in sports history, including Super Bowl and NBA Championship rings.
The exhibition will feature championship rings, trophies, medals, and jewelry from legendary athletes and teams over the last nearly 150 years.
“For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence” will open May 15 in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, within the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals.
It shows how sports prizes have evolved over time, from traditional medals and trophy cups to elaborate rings.
There will be more than 70 objects on display from more than 15 sports, including basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, boxing, and golf.
Highlights include one of Jesse Owens’s Olympic gold medals from the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin. He won four gold medals that year in a moment that went down in Olympic history.
Visitors can also see an Olympic torch from the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. It was the first time a woman, track and field athlete Enriqueta Basilio of Mexico, lit the Olympic cauldron.
Baseball fans can see Yogi Berra’s Babe Ruth Crown, which was awarded to him in 1975 for his lifetime batting achievements with the New York Yankees.
Yogi Berra was awarded the Babe Ruth Crown in 1975 in honor of his lifetime batting achievements with the New York Yankees. (Credit: Alvaro Keding and Daniel Kim/AMNH)
Breanna Stewart’s New York Liberty 2024 WNBA Championship ring, featuring a pair of earrings hidden inside, will be on display as well. It marked the team’s first professional basketball championship in more than 50 years.
Seen here is the New York Liberty 2024 WNBA Championship ring. Breanna Stewart’s ring will be on display at the exhibition.
The ring opens to reveal a pair of earrings.
The Brooklyn, New York-based basketball team partnered with Jason Arasheben, founder and CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills, and Brooklyn-based designers Dynasty Ogun and Soull Ogun of L’Enchanteur, to create the championship rings.
Kevin Durant’s 2017 Golden State Warriors NBA Championship ring will also be there. It marked his first NBA championship win for which he earned NBA Finals MVP.
Football fans can see Justin Tuck’s 2008 and 2012 New York Giants Super Bowl rings, which feature diamond-set Vince Lombardi trophies.
Justin Tuck’s 2012 New York Giants Super Bowl ring (Credit: Alvaro Keding and Daniel Kim/AMNH)
Several trophies will be on display as well, including one of the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi trophies, crafted by Tiffany & Co. since 1967.
The Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, Major League Soccer’s highest honor, awarded to New York City FC after its 2021 title win, will also be there.
Ali Krieger’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup medal, representing one of her two championship wins with the U.S. National Team is also featured in the exhibition.
Katie Ledecky’s 2025 Golden Goggles Award, presented by USA Swimming after she was named “Female Athlete of the Year” for a record tenth time, will be there.
Boxing fans can see Claressa Shields’ 2019 WBO Middleweight Championship belt, inscribed with her nickname, “T-Rex.” Shields is the first female boxer to hold all four major world titles and the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals, in 2012 and 2016.
Claressa Shields’ 2019 WBO Middleweight Championship belt will be on display as well. (Credit: Alvaro Keding and Daniel Kim/AMNH)