Your commissioner gets a super cool fantasy football trophy for your league, but because of COVID, your draft is online this year.  This means you won't see the 2019 winner in person, so you will need to send the trophy to your league champ.  Unfortunately, most fantasy football trophies are large, fragile, and can easily get damaged when tossed around by drivers, staff, and trucks at shipping companies.

I recently contacted Ray, a past fantasy football customer, about his trophy, and he said: "Sadly, our trophy got destroyed during shipping to our second season winner :(".  Unfortunately this tragic story happens all too often.

Let's solve this problem by describing exactly how we pack trophies to ensure safe arrival.  I hope you can use this tutorial to get your trophy to your league winner safely, in perfect condition!

Shipping a large fantasy football trophy, such as this League Champion Trophy, can be a real challenge.

I interviewed my business partner Tom, who's in charge of our production, to find out step-by-step how he carefully packs our most fragile Fantasy Football Awards.  The trophy we are using today is our League Champion Trophy, but the same steps would apply to any large resin award.

How to Pack a Fantasy Football Trophy

1. Choose a large enough box so that the trophy fits inside with room all around.
2. Add a layer of styrofoam peanuts to the bottom of the box, then a "pillow" of packing paper.
3. Wrap the Trophy with large bubble wrap.  First the long way, with a bit extra to tuck under the "neck" of the trophy.  Then another layer around the trophy.  Secure with tape.
4. Place the wrapped trophy on it's side in the box.  A wad of paper is wedged between the box and top of the trophy, then another wad is wedged between the box and bottom of the trophy.  The goal is to secure the trophy so it does not move in the box.
5. Add more paper to each side of the trophy to make it secure.  Add another "pillow" of paper to the top of the trophy and then close and tape the lid.

After packed, when lifting and shaking the box, nothing should move inside.  If it does, you need more paper.  Add fragile stickers to the outside of the box and you're done!This packing method should insure safe arrival of your award.

**ONE TIP:  Be sure to save the box and packing materials if your trophy if your trophy is a "keeper".  If you have to add names to the sides and it moves around from player to player, your can reuse your box and packing materials for ongoing years.

A special Thank You to world's best partner Tom for the packing tutorial and for letting me picture you! 

Please reach out if you have any questions, we are here to help.  Good luck with shipping your trophy, have a great NFL season!

Cheers,

Jessica

New team parent?  Not sure what are the best trophies to order for your team?  We can help!  Find suggestions below for the BEST trophies for kids by their age and ability.

Guide to Kid's Trophies by Age

Lots of trophy options to award every player!

Preschool - The Littles- Ages 4-6: For your youngest players, go small. A sports figure attached to a base makes a great first trophy.

Our Happy Cup Soccer Trophy is the perfect option for your youngest players!

Grade School - The Middles Ages 7-9: For kiddos in elementary school, a trophy with a small column is a great choice. Medals are also popular, as they are easy to store and can be clipped onto a backpack.

Middle School - Tweens - Ages 10-12: Resin trophies or larger column trophies are good awards for team accomplishments, such as playoff wins.

High School:  Teens - Ages 13+: Trophies and plaques are given to tournament winners, champions, or special honors, such as Team Captain, Most Inspirational, or MVP. Participation trophies are not usually given to older athletes.

There's been much backlash in the news about participation trophies. As a mom, I get it, but I do see value in giving a small token of appreciation to younger players at the end of the season. Read my blog post on Participation Trophies for a fresh perspective.

Here's to a great season!
Cheers!

Jessica

Short Tumblers in 10 colors make the perfect personalized gift!

I'm thrilled to present our newest product - Short Engraved Tumblers!  Similar to Yeti tumblers, our 10-oz personalized tumblers make the perfect gift!  We use them here at work for all kinds of beverages - coffee, ice water, soda, and cocktails!  What is great about these tumblers is they are insulated, so they keep your liquid at temperature ALL DAY!  I put ice water in mine at night, and keep it next to my bed.  In the morning, the ice still hasn't melted!  And it doesn't leave a condensation ring on my nightstand - the cup stays dry.

Personalization....we take your logo, text or initials and then laser engrave the graphic file around the top of the tumbler.  The cup is positioned in our laser engraver (the blue machine pictured next to Laurie in the photo), programmed by one of our engravers Lori or Laurie, and then "run".  This results in the colored coating burning away by the laser beam to expose your gleaming silver custom engraving!

Customers who have purchased tumblers include the president of a giant pilot's union (800 tumblers!!!), golf tournament directors, school officials, and owners of companies.  Great for school booster clubs, sporting groups, and corporate events, tumblers make functional and useful gifts. You kids have too many sports trophies?  Our tumblers also make great trophy alternatives for sports teams.

Laurie and I model our short engraved tumblers! Hers has cats and mine has our Trophies2Go logo!

In 10 colors, our short engraved tumblers are made of aluminum and powder coated on the outside.  These double walled stainless steel tumblers feature vacuum insulation to keep your drink at temperature twice as long as compared to a regular travel mug.  The plastic lid is clear so you can see inside and is easy to keep clean.  We also have no-leak slide lids available for purchase.

Interested in an awesome gift that will get used every day?  Contact me about our engraved short tumblers, I love mine...I think I have close to a dozen!  You and your recipient will love them too!

Cheers!

Jessica

My husband Jeff has been in the 'Big Johnson Fantasy League' since 1991, so I know a thing or two about BOTH fantasy football and trophies! Here are my thoughts on how to immortalize your fantasy season without breaking the bank.

How to Choose the BEST Fantasy Football Trophy for Your League

Big Johnson League's draft.

1. Crown the Champion.  Regardless of the budget, awarding hardware to your league winner should be your #1 priority as commissioner.  For champion keeper awards, consider doing a smaller version of a traveling trophy (discussed below).  This will ensure a legacy over the years.  For example, picture a repeat champ receiving multiple Lombardi-style awards and lining them up on their mantle.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Championship Replica Trophy

NEW! Fantasy Football Champion Chain

Towering Fantasy Football Award

2.  Build the Legacy.  With a couple of ways to accomplish this, keep both short-term and long-term budget in mind.

- The Easy Way:  If you want to stay simple, I suggest choosing a trophy that doesn’t have to be engraved each year.  Instead engrave your league name and “Champion” on the front and you are all set.  Have last year’s winner bring it back to the draft and award it to the new winner. Here are a couple of suggestions for this style of trophy:

Jumbo Bronze Football Trophy

Armchair Quarterback Football Trophy

Annual (perpetual) engraving on the Big Johnson League trophy.

- A Little More Effort:  With a little more effort, you can engrave the past winners on the sides of your traveling (perpetual) trophy.  Most of our annual fantasy football trophies include an option for 3 additional side plates.  Be sure to choose this add-on when placing your order.  Place the trophy in your cart and type in the text you want on the front plate of your award. Our current best sellers are:

Monster Football Perpetual Trophy

BEST SELLER! Perpetual Replica Fantasy Football Champion Trophy

King of the League Trophy

To get names added to the sides, add product #7170 to your cart and type in the previous winner's information in the engraving section. I suggest including the year, winner’s name and team name. Each side plate fits 6-8 years of engraving.  Doing the math, you get 18-24 years of joy out of the trophy.

Please note:  Each year there is a process to have the side plate engraved with a new winner.  Simply unscrew the plate and mail it to us with engraving instructions and payment for $20.  We will engrave and mail it back.  Even if you forget to have it engraved for up to 4 years, the cost is still $20 total.  Get specific instructions here.

For the biggest whiner in your league, award our popular Cry Baby Loser Trophy.

3. Have Some Fun.  Finally, if your league coffers allow, consider adding some spice to your draft with some funny joke trophies for your league loser.  This is our favorite part of the fantasy football season,  as some commissioners get super creative. We've seen it all; check out our Fantasy Football Joke Trophies for more ideas. Here are my favorites:

Cry Baby Loser Trophy

Dead Last Toilets

Beauty Queens

Horse Bobble Butt Trophy

Best of luck in your draft!  I hope the addition of fantasy football trophies adds hype to your league.  May the trash-talking begin!

Cheers!  Jessica

*Editor's note: this post was originally published in August 2015 and has been updated for content.

The kids on your sports team have been working hard all season and deserve some recognition!  If you’re looking for a way to say ‘great job’ without awarding a participation trophy, you’re not alone.

Looking for something other than trophies for your team this season? If your kids are older and have already covered their bedroom shelves with trophies, you may be looking for something new and different.  Here are some top ideas of alternatives to trophies for your team, such as the Strideline Socks featured below! Let us know how we can help - give us a call at 877-926-4700.

Top Trophy Alternatives

Everyone on your team will love Strideline Socks! Contact us for details.

Bag Tags - Full color bag tags are great for travel or for gear bags.

Drink Tumblers: Engrave a sport ball image (like soccer) with the player's name and these tumblers will be used all year long!

Trading Coins & Pins: Unique to your event, create lapel pins or coins give to participants or to trade with other teams.

Logowear: T-shirts, socks and other logo wear are cool gear to show off your team!

Gear Bags - Everyone needs a place to shove their stuff; a useful way to keep track of player's equipment.

Acrylic Display Cubes: With options for football, soccer and volleyball, display a game ball with pride. Makes a great coach's gift!

Ball Stands: For footballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs, these solid walnut stands include a small engraved plate.

Medals or Dog Tags: Kids can wear them or use as a zipper pull for gear bags and backpacks. See football, soccer, and volleyball options.

Photo Collages - Remember the season with a photo each player can frame.

Presentation Matters

Even if you aren't awarding trophies to your team, make sure to put some meaning behind your gift.  Don’t just hand them out without praise.  When presenting a small token of the season, make sure to talk about each player's dedication, hard work and never quit attitude. Be sure to mention something different yet specific for each player.

On my daughter’s soccer team, the coach will start by saying, “This player was a real hard worker. She came to every practice and game ready to give it her all.  Her defensive moves …”  By this time the whole team is guessing who it is and screaming the girl's name.  This way she’s being recognized by the coach AND her teammates at the same time.  Visit my post Making Sports Trophies Meaningful for even more tips.

Whether you’re getting trophies, medals or some alternative recognition, enjoy the end of your season!

Cheers!
Jessica

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on November 6, 2012.  It has been updated for content.