Despite what Drake would have you believe in his song "Trophies," there are awards and trophies for almost everything these days. In youth sports, trophies just for participating are frequently handed out, but Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison doesn't want them in his house.
When Harrison came home last week to find that his two sons had been awarded participation trophies from the Best of the Batch Foundation founded by former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, he posted a picture of the awards on Instagram and noted they would be returned. "While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die," he wrote, "these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy."
Harrison's stance earned him praise on social media and even at a Steelers practice. "I appreciate what you're teaching your son!" a fan yelled as the veteran linebacker walked off the field recently. Of course, Harrison isn't the first sports figure to reject an award. Here are some notable examples:
1972 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team: Chaos. Controversy. Conspiracy. Those were some of the words used to describe the final seconds of the 1972 Olympic men's basketball final between the United States and Soviet Union. The Americans had never lost in men's basketball since it became an Olympic sport in 1936, winning seven straight gold medals and going 63-0. That all changed on Sept. 9, 1972, in Munich, Germany, when the Soviet Union upset the Americans in one of the more controversial and disputed finishes in Olympic history. The Soviets were allowed to inbound the ball three times before finally scoring the winning basket. Feeling robbed, the U.S. players refused to take their place on the podium afterward and to this day have not accepted their silver medals.
Jose Mourinho, soccer manager: One of soccer's most decorated managers, Mourinho doesn't care much for keepsakes and medals. He has made it almost a tradition to toss his awards into the crowd after games. Earlier this month, Mourinho threw his runner-up medal in the Community Shield into the crowd after his Chelsea squad lost to Arsenal. The medal ended up with a young fan. "I don't want the medal," he said. "I don't keep the ones I win, so what do you think about the ones I lose?" Mourinho also threw his winner's medals into the crowd after leading Chelsea to the Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006. One of the medals later sold online for nearly $25,000.
Lionel Messi, soccer star: Messi was in no mood for a consolation prize last month after Argentina was upset by Chile in the Copa America. He rejected the Most Valuable Player award, which was later vacated, and he took his runner-up medal off seconds after it was placed around his neck. It was repeat of Messi's reaction at the 2014 World Cup, when he didn't keep his runner-up medal around his neck.
Matt McDonough, Iowa wrestler: The Hawkeyes' program, which has won 23 national wrestling championships since 1975, apparently has no room in its trophy case for second-place medals. When McDonough, a fifth-year senior and a two-time NCAA champion, finished second in the Big Ten tournament in 2013, he wanted nothing to do with his runner-up medal. In fact, he tossed it into the garbage, where it was later discovered by a reporter.
Ara Abrahamian, Olympic wrestler: At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler had to be restrained from going after officials following his loss to Italy's Andrea Minguzzi. Abrahamian complained about a penalty in the second round of his match, his coach was denied a request for a video review and a post-bout protest was not considered. After he was awarded the bronze, Abrahamian walked off the podium and dropped the medal on the mat. The International Olympic Committee later stripped him of that award.
Ibragim Samadov, Olympic weightlifter: Competing for the Unified Team in the 1992 Olympics, Samadov was considered a favorite in the light-heavyweight division. But despite lifting the same weight as the gold and silver medalists, he finished third on a technicality because he weighed one-tenth of a pound more than the top two competitors. On the podium, Samadov didn't lean over to accept his bronze medal, then he threw it on the floor when it was handed to him and stormed off the stage. When the gold medalist picked up the bronze and handed to Samadov, he tossed it to the ground again. He also was disqualified by the IOC.
2009 Florida football team: After winning the BCS National Championship in 2008, the Gators came into the following season with Urban Meyer as coach and Tim Tebow as quarterback with a "championship or bust" motto. After the Gators lost to Alabama in the SEC championship game, that saying was taken literally. Despite finishing the season 13-1 and winning the Sugar Bowl, players and coaches never got a Bowl Championship Series ring the following season. "We got rings for the Outback Bowl [in 2010] but not the Sugar Bowl, which is a better bowl," offensive lineman David Young told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "I don't know what happened to those [Sugar Bowl] rings."
Stacey Augmon, U.S. Olympic basketball player: After the United States finished a disappointing third in men's basketball at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, the former UNLV star left his bronze medal in South Korea. He claimed it was just an accident, although others suspected otherwise. "I just didn't pick it up off the bed," Augmon told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1990. "I just forgot."