Disclaimer: not my original idea. I think I read this a few years ago somewhere online but can't remember who/where (Bill Simmons?).


The defending champ should carry around the trophy for the following season, all year long, until a new champ is crowned, similar to how a fighter carries a championship belt to and from the ring/cage. So when the Penguins play a regular season game in Philly, Sidney Crosby should carry the Stanley Cup out when the Pens come on the ice and it should be sitting behind the bench behind the coach. For every match Germany's men's team plays (friendly, qualifier, during the 2018 World Cup, etc), they should carry out the World Cup and have it sitting beside the bench players during the entire game. And so on. We could even carry this on to individual sports. Besides the caddy carrying the clubs, Jordan Spieth should have someone walk beside him every round holding the Claret Jug, right up until the end of the Open this year.

I think this would give a mental advantage to the defending champs and, more importantly, be highly entertaining. People already love to hate Crosby/Brady/Curry etc, so to see them come onto an opponent's court/field casually carrying their league's trophy while the boos rain down? How about someone trying to make a tough putt for par while Spieth AND his trophies stare you down? Why don't we already do this?!?!


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