There are surprisingly few constants when it comes to sports teams handing out football rings.
We know the championship ring will be happy. We know the players who won this championship. We know there will be some ceremony. But beyond that, as far as he is concerned, they want to go with him, especially when it comes to the number he actually wants to get.
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This uncertain fact is related to the breakthrough of the New York Knicks.
The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports that in September several Madison Square Garden employees received an email offering recipients a first look at their ball rings, with two options to choose from in the new kit:
“Congratulations, your Employee Smile Ring is here,” the email read.
“(Work name) is the one in the house. MSG uses a complimentary employee ball ring. Same jeweler, same craftsmanship, with your personal name. No cost to you.
“Dina’s plans I take from: Golden Smile and Hortus Ordo. Reserve the one you want below.”
A certain number of employees pressed the connection to the email address. Instead of the ring, their reward was, they say, a mandatory cybersecurity class, as the email was a phishing test orchestrated to address Dolan’s cybersecurity concerns.
Making that situation even more puzzling is that many Madison Square Garden employees, including some who work in the Knicks’ business operations, reportedly won’t be receiving rings at all.
The Knicks are still working to get their championship rings to the right people.
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
Again, there is no rule as to which ring employers receive sponsorship, but the owners are often generous in this regard, although most of the employees receive lower rings than the diamond encrusted monster players. And the employees who don’t reach them are usually not psychologically bothered by the fake rings offered by their company.
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The recruiting staff almost always get both rings, but the Knicks reportedly differed from the norm in one respect as well.
The Knicks’ assistant coaches were all clearly meant to hold the rings as the rousing music played in Madison Square Garden. According to Athletica, those boxes were empty.
The assistant coaches are expected to eventually receive those rings, but were not available Tuesday as the team is still reportedly going through the process of measuring ring sizes and placing orders.
Athletica notes that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s assistants didn’t wear their rings overnight during last year’s opener. Thunder just didn’t pretend to be them in the ceremony.
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Another difference between the Knicks ring night and the Thunder night ring was the presence of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, or lack thereof in the case of the Knicks. The NBA commissioner is usually on hand to address the crowd and his rings present, but Knicks great Walt Frazier was one of the rings handed out on Tuesday.
Silver was relegated to a chair on the other side of the court, while NFL commissioners Roger Goodell and Jon Bon Jovi stood behind announcer Mike Breen. Dolan and Silver are known to be at odds, and Silver’s placement appears to be another way that Dolan’s presence felt like a big opportunity for the Knicks.
The Knicks lose their opener 106-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers.