s on exhibit at the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The rings feature diamonds and other kinds of precious stones on it. Championship rings are typically made of
yellow or
white gold with
diamonds and other precious stones. They usually include the team name, team logo, and the championship number (usually indicated in
Roman numerals for the NFL's Super Bowl wins). Championship ring policies differ between the four major professional leagues. NHL and MLB owners pay for the cost of the rings. The NFL pays up to $5,000 per ring for up to 150
rings for teams that win the Super Bowl. Teams can distribute any number of rings but must pay for any additional costs, and may offer lesser rings at their discretion. The NBA standardized its championship ring from 1969 through 1983; presently the winning team selects its own design and the league covers the cost of the rings. The winning team can typically present rings to whomever they choose, including usually, but not limited to: players (active roster or injured), coaches, trainers, executives, personnel, and general staff. In the NHL, since the Stanley Cup has limited space and stringent criteria, rings are often presented to current players who may not qualify to have their name engraved on the Cup. Some teams have also been known to give rings to former players who are not officially part of the winning team, including those who have been part of the roster for part of the title-winning season but traded away or waived before the playoffs (a common practice among MLB teams, where
Arthur Rhodes,
Bengie Molina, and
Lonnie Smith played in the World Series against a team they played for earlier in the season, guaranteeing them World Series rings regardless of the series outcome). Retired players, coaches, and executives not involved with the team in an official capacity have received rings too, particularly those with a long tenure and/or having fan favorite status. Occasionally, rings are even raffled or auctioned to fans, usually as part of a charity fundraiser. , an athletic trainer for the
New York Yankees waves to the crowd at
Yankee Stadium after receiving his 2009 World Series ring A recent trend over the last 15–20 years has been lesser rings awarded to front office staff. These are commonly called "B" and "C" level rings and are smaller and contain fewer diamonds or contain faux diamonds. The first instance of this was the
Redskins Super Bowl XVII ring when many in the front office received rings that were not solid gold and contained cubic zirconia stones (which resemble diamonds). When
Tampa Bay won
Super Bowl XXXVII, the players and coaches received rings with a diamond-centered Lombardi trophy. Some staff received rings with a metal Lombardi trophy and real diamonds surrounding the trophy and the "C" level ring did not contain any diamonds. The
Toronto Raptors had five tiers of rings created to commemorate their
2019 NBA championship, with 20 top tier rings (worth a reported $100,000 CAD or $150,000 CAD each) made for players and key staff, while 20,000 fifth tier replica rings (worth around $20 CAD each) were distributed to the audience at
Scotiabank Arena during the championship banner-raising ceremony at the 2019–20 season home opener. The ring manufacturer also makes replica rings, pendants, and other accessories derived from the championship ring design for sale to the general public.
Manufacture L.G. Balfour of
Attleboro, Massachusetts and
Jostens of
Minneapolis, Minnesota are the two companies that have produced the majority of championship rings for the four major professional sports leagues. Jeweler Jason Arasheben has also designed several championship rights, including some with removable parts (e.g., the top of the ring can be converted to a necklace pendant). For student athletes,
Jostens is a typical manufacturer. ==History and growth of trend==