Arkansas gives rings for Liberty Bowl win

[18IsTheMan]

I'm usually in the minority here on this kind of thing (as evidenced by being outnumbered in thinking that it was silly for the Tampa Rays to put up a banner for being the last Wild Card team into the playoffs last year and losing the series in 2 games), but I think this is probably a bit much for a Liberty Bowl win and finishing 7-6:

 

[Forkcock]

Don't most schools get bowl rings?

 

[18IsTheMan]

Don't most schools get bowl rings?

Beats me. Never heard of such a thing, at least not for bowls like the Liberty. They're getting trolled hard on Twitter, even by their own fans.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Seems like a nice thing to do for your players.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I guess it's more common than I thought. This article is from 10 years ago, writing about how the giving out of rings was getting out of hand. Then it was teams getting a ring for getting a division championship. I guess we're at the point now where a losing 3-5 conference record and a win in a lower-tier bowl gets you some bling.

What’s the deal with college football teams giving out rings for division titles?

There has to be some kind of standard for giving out rings, or the whole thing becomes kind of weird. A national championship? Go crazy. Nobody is arguing the significance of that. Conference championships? Sure. We're getting into a little … <a...

sports.yahoo.com

 

[18IsTheMan]

Seems like a nice thing to do for your players.

I can see some old geezer 50 years now pulling that ring out of a dresser drawer, showing it to his grandson and saying "Here you go, Billy. This is from the year pop-pop played on a team that went 3-5 in conference play."

 

[will110]

I'm usually in the minority here on this kind of thing (as evidenced by being outnumbered in thinking that it was silly for the Tampa Rays to put up a banner for being the last Wild Card team into the playoffs last year and losing the series in 2 games), but I think this is probably a bit much for a Liberty Bowl win and finishing 7-6:

Someone posted about bowl rings last year and I said it was dumb then, only to be told that it's common practice

I have no problem putting up the banner to mark the season's accomplishment (Wild Card) or if a school had a wall to honor bowl victories. But the rings for a minor bowl game seem like a bit much in my opinion.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Someone posted about bowl rings last year and I said it was dumb then, only to be told that it's common practice

I have no problem putting up the banner to mark the season's accomplishment (Wild Card) or if a school had a wall to honor bowl victories. But the rings for a minor bowl game seem like a bit much in my opinion.

I'm of the school of thought that it should be for championships, national or conference. But I guess I could maybe see if you had a REALLY good season and won a major bowl. Finished top 5 or something. But how do you do a ring when you have a losing conference record and don't finish in the 25? What are you commemorating?

 

[SSIGamecock]

I am 100% sure our team got rings for winning the SEC East in 2010, and like 95% sure they got rings for at least of the Capital One Bowl wins.

 

[will110]

I'm of the school of thought that it should be for championships, national or conference. But I guess I could maybe see if you had a REALLY good season and won a major bowl. Finished top 5 or something. But how do you do a ring when you have a losing conference record and don't finish in the 25? What are you commemorating?

I agree, a ring seems like something that commemorates a championship. The SEC East rings that Carolina got after 2010 like @SSIGamecock mentions would be the bare minimum for ring in my opinion, and even that seems like a stretch. We really didn't win anything...just got the right to go to Atlanta and get destroyed by Auburn.

Now I remember the conversation last year...our team got Belk Bowl rings and I thought that was dumb.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I agree, a ring seems like something that commemorates a championship. The SEC East rings that Carolina got after 2010 like @SSIGamecock mentions would be the bare minimum for ring in my opinion, and even that seems like a stretch. We really didn't win anything...just got the right to go to Atlanta and get destroyed by Auburn.

Now I remember the conversation last year...our team got Belk Bowl rings and I thought that was dumb.

Yeah, I'm not too sure I want to commemorate us being the only 3-loss division winner in the history of the SEC and getting curbstomped in the ensuing championship game.

 

[Blues man]

I can see some old geezer 50 years now pulling that ring out of a dresser drawer, showing it to his grandson and saying "Here you go, Billy. This is from the year pop-pop played on a team that went 3-5 in conference play."

When you put it like that, a Liberty Bowl win for a team going 3-5 sounds like a big deal to me. At least it's a bowl that has kept its name.

 

[Uscg1984]

I don't know. If the bowl game is worth playing in, and the bowl gives a trophy to the winner, if you win the bowl, you're going to take the trophy, right? Nobody's going to say they'll play in the bowl, but refuse the trophy if they win because it's a 3rd tier bowl. That hasn't really changed. There are certainly more bowls now, but I remember 6-5 teams sometimes going to bowls in the 1980s, so it's not as if bowl winners were always top tier teams.

As for the rings, they commemorate the event for the participants. Nobody is going to confuse them with a Super Bowl ring. If I had my granddad's or father's ring from a Liberty Bowl win 50 years ago, I'm sure it would mean a lot to me. Heck, I wish I still had something to commemorate my high school's Region 1 AAAA track title from 30+ years ago. All we got was a T-shirt and it's long-gone by now. Heck, even my letter jacket gave up the ghost some years back when moths got to it.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I don't know. If the bowl game is worth playing in, and the bowl gives a trophy to the winner, if you win the bowl, you're going to take the trophy, right? Nobody's going to say they'll play in the bowl, but refuse the trophy if they win because it's a 3rd tier bowl. That hasn't really changed. There are certainly more bowls now, but I remember 6-5 teams sometimes going to bowls in the 1980s, so it's not as if bowl winners were always top tier teams.

As for the rings, they commemorate the event for the participants. Nobody is going to confuse them with a Super Bowl ring. If I had my granddad's or father's ring from a Liberty Bowl win 50 years ago, I'm sure it would mean a lot to me. Heck, I wish I still had something to commemorate my high school's Region 1 AAAA track title from 30+ years ago. All we got was a T-shirt and it's long-gone by now. Heck, even my letter jacket gave up the ghost some years back when moths got to it.

Shoot, by today's standards, your track team should have a statue outside the school.

 

[SSIGamecock]

Yeah, I'm not too sure I want to commemorate us being the only 3-loss division winner in the history of the SEC and getting curbstomped in the ensuing championship game.

Yeah - I'm definitely not for it, just pointing out it's a lot more common than it may seem.

 

[Blues man]

Rings have become more popular at a lot of sporting events in recent years as individual trophys... tournaments and the likes. Easy to display. Dont need a large case to keep the dust off. And a whole lot easier to hand out... you dont need a truckload for a lot of age groups. Plus they dont break as easy.
I get it seems a little weird. But they are more practical than you may imagine. And as far as I know, most of the kids and parents are good with them. Point is I guess rings have become a trophy and a decent one for different reasons.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Rings have become more popular at a lot of sporting events in recent years as individual trophys... tournaments and the likes. Easy to display. Dont need a large case to keep the dust off. And a whole lot easier to hand out... you dont need a truckload for a lot of age groups. Plus they dont break as easy.
I get it seems a little weird. But they are more practical than you may imagine. And as far as I know, most of the kids and parents are good with them. Point is I guess rings are a trophy and a decent one for different reasons.

Is a 7-6 (3-5) record trophy/ring worthy though? I just can't wrap my head around it.

It all reminds me of that beer commercial some years back (I think it was beer) showing a baseball team going nuts on the field after getting the final out, dumping Gatorade on each either...then the camera pans to the visitor dugout and one of the coaches asks "should we tell them it's just the first inning?"

 

[Blues man]

Is a 7-6 (3-5) record trophy/ring worthy though? I just can't wrap my head around it.

It all reminds me of that beer commercial some years back (I think it was beer) showing a baseball team going nuts on the field after getting the final out, dumping Gatorade on each either...then the camera pans to the visitor dugout and one of the coaches asks "should we tell them it's just the first inning?"

I hear ya. My point is "ring" is a bit watered down than what most of us has been accustomed to. They won a ring basically for winning a one game invitational. That's it, not a 7-6 season. I gotta think their coach would have made that perfectly clear. He'd be nuts if he didnt! Lol.
When I mentioned rings are being given out more today than ever, I also have to say I really dont know of any athletes that wear them more than a day if that.

 

[ConwayGamecock]

I hear ya. My point is "ring" is a bit watered down that what most of us has been accustomed to. They won a ring basically for winning a one game invitational. That's it, not a 7-6 season. I gotta think their coach would have made that perfectly clear. He'd be nuts if he didnt! Lol.
When I mentioned rings are being given out more today than ever, I also have to say I really dont know of any athletes that wear them more than a day if that.

Well, these ARE supposed to be college students. They can clearly see how the Liberty Bowl is imprinted all over the rings, but the season results of 7-6 is nowhere to be found on them, so I think it's plain to the eyes as to what those rings are for. So you're correct here. And I also doubt the players wear the rings very much - they probably add them to whatever trophy shelf they have for winning individual awards from playing the sport.....

Also, its odd that some will disparage upper-class football players who forgo their bowl games to start early on prep for the NFL draft, but then laugh at the program attempts to glorify program achievements like giving bowl rings, that may help to implement program and team pride in their team accomplishments. Seems pretty contradictory......

 

[Blues man]

Well, these ARE supposed to be college students. They can clearly see how the Liberty Bowl is imprinted all over the rings, but the season results of 7-6 is nowhere to be found on them, so I think it's plain to the eyes as to what those rings are for. So you're correct here. And I also doubt the players wear the rings very much - they probably add them to whatever trophy shelf they have for winning individual awards from playing the sport.....

Also, its odd that some will disparage upper-class football players who forgo their bowl games to start early on prep for the NFL draft, but then laugh at the program attempts to glorify program achievements like giving bowl rings, that may help to implement program and team pride in their team accomplishments. Seems pretty contradictory......

Now that you mention it, it is a pretty nice ring. Maybe a player or two stays long enough to get one. Maybe that's the idea.

 

[Gradstudent]

Since so many players opt out, maybe its a sneaky strategy, play in the crummy bowl, and win and you will get a nice looking ring! They will use it to their advantage next year

 

[NYC_Gamecock]

There is nothing wrong with awarding players with a bowl victory ring. The vast majority of college football players will never play in the NFL. So why not give them a bowl ring to commemorate their time and efforts committed to the football team?

 

[Go Gamecocks]

Finished 6th out of 7 in SEC East.....they get trophies?

 

[Thunderstick]

Liberty Bowl ring = Participation ribbon

 

[18IsTheMan]

Liberty Bowl ring = Participation ribbon

It's definitely symptomatic of the participation trophy mindset.

What I really wanna get a look at is the sick bling from the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.

 

[Blues man]

Liberty Bowl ring = Participation ribbon

Im confused, did the loser get a ring?

 

[18IsTheMan]

At least there's some strong sentiment out there on my side:

Arkansas Thinks Winning Liberty Bowl And Going 7-6 Is Worthy Of A Ring

Arkansas is apparently incredibly proud of last season. The team unveiled a ring for going 7-6 and winning the Liberty Bowl.

www.outkick.com

7-6 Arkansas Proudly Unveiled Its Liberty Bowl Rings And Was Promptly Roasted By The Entire Internet For Being That Stupid

I would expect most college football programs in 2023 to be smart enough to not flaunt rings from a 7-6 season on social media for fear of immense ridicule and embarrassment. Not Arkansas, but most.Al...

www.barstoolsports.com

Internet Trolls Arkansas For Liberty Bowl Ring Video

Fans are trolling the Arkansas football program for its release of a video on social media Monday evening. The clip commemorates the Razorbacks' 2022

brobible.com

 

[18IsTheMan]

Im confused, did the loser get a ring?

Yes, Arkansas did.

 

[18IsTheMan]

So, for those pro-ring people, how do you feel about them making a social media hype video for the ring? Would you at least agree that was a bit much?

I guess it's one thing if you hush-hush give your players a ring to console them after a mediocre season. It's another to broadcast it to the world as a great accomplishment.

 

[Blues man]

Yes, Arkansas did.

So using the same logic, the school should not have brought home the Liberty Bowl Trophy after they had won it because they barely became bowl eligible?

 

[18IsTheMan]

So using the same logic, the school should not have brought home the Liberty Bowl Trophy after they had won it because they barely became bowl eligible?

Apples and oranges.

You understand quite well that rings are associated with titles. Significant titles. Trophy is given out by the bowl to the winner. That's very different from the congratulating themselves with rings.

 

[Blues man]

Apples and oranges.

You understand quite well that rings are associated with titles. Significant titles. Trophy is given out by the bowl to the winner. That's very different from the congratulating themselves with rings.

I did. We will disagree on the value of rings in sports today. Like it or not, they are just another award.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I did. We will disagree on the value of rings in sports today. Like it or not, they are just another award.

But the question is: should they be? Do YOU think a 7-6 (3-5) team deserves a bowl game ring? If you were the head coach, would you have done it?

If so, would you have made a hype video about it?

 

[Blues man]

But the question is: should they be? Do YOU think a 7-6 (3-5) team deserves a bowl game ring? If you were the head coach, would you have done it?

If so, would you have made a hype video about it?

I'm not saying I like the trend of rings instead of trophies. Just that the trend is more popular than it ever has been. Would I have made rings for my players? Probably not unless I was convinced it would help me in future bowls. Guess I'd have to do a lot of homework on that. What are the rings worth and such. But if I did think handing out rings would help me in future bowls or recruiting, I'd would probably make a hype video about them. It's actually the hype video that has me wondering the real reason for giving out diamond rings

 

[Anon1670041242]

I'm not saying I like the trend of rings instead of trophies. Just that the trend is more popular than it ever has been. Would I have made rings for my players? Probably not unless I was convinced it would help me in future bowls. Guess I'd have to do a lot of homework on that. What are the rings worth and such. But if I did think handing out rings would help me in future bowls or recruiting, I'd would probably make a hype video about them. It's actually the hype video that has me wondering the real reason for giving out diamond rings

Also gave them a choice of flavors