The American Museum of Natural History Announces For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence, Opening May 15
New York City FC’s 2021 Philip F. Anschutz Trophy and 2021 MLS Cup Championship Ring to be Included
On May 15, the American Museum of Natural History will open For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence, a special exhibition of championship rings, trophies, medals, and jewelry from legendary athletes and teams in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, within the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. Spanning nearly 150 years of history, including the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, awarded to New York City FC after its 2021 title win, the exhibition reveals the stories behind the objects that define athletic greatness and traces their evolution alongside the rise of modern sports culture. For the Win opens in advance of FIFA World Cup 2026™ and kicks off World Cup, World Cultures: Celebrating the Community and Science of Sport, a series of programming at the Museum for New Yorkers and visiting fans from around the world.
"For The Win brings together an extraordinary collection of objects that commemorate the defining moment of victory in sports, meticulously crafted from spectacular gems and minerals, and explores how athletics can resonate far beyond the field of play,” said Museum President Sean M. Decatur. “With the excitement of the World Cup building, the exhibition will also mark the launch of a series of fun, interactive experiences at the Museum that enable visitors to engage with the science, global community, and culture of sports.”
For the Win is curated by Guest Curator Vikki Tobak in partnership with Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant’s manager and co-founder of Thirty Five Ventures (35V), as senior advisor. Kate Kiseeva, associate curator in the Division of Physical Sciences, is the curator of the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals.
From barrier-breaking milestones to contemporary victories, the exhibition features over 70 objects across more than 15 sports—including basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, boxing, and golf. Together, the collection reveals how sports prizes have transformed over time from traditional medals and trophy cups into increasingly elaborate symbols of achievement. Highlights include:
- The Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, Major League Soccer’s highest honor, awarded to New York City FC after its 2021 title win
- One of Jesse Owens’s Olympic gold medals from the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, where he won four gold medals, symbolizing a defining moment in Olympic history
- Breanna Stewart’s New York Liberty 2024 WNBA Championship ring, featuring a pair of earrings hidden inside, presented alongside the team’s 2024 WNBA Championship trophy. The title cemented a defining moment in franchise history and delivered New York City its first professional basketball championship in more than 50 years.
- The National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy, an iconic symbol of Super Bowl victory handcrafted by global luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. since 1967
- Ali Krieger’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup medal, representing one of her two championship victories with the U.S. National Team
- Kevin Durant’s 2017 Golden State Warriors NBA Championship ring, his first NBA championship win for which he earned NBA Finals MVP
- An Olympic torch from the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, marking the first time that a woman, track and field athlete Enriqueta Basilio of Mexico, lit the Olympic cauldron
- The National Women’s Soccer League Trophy, presented to NJ/NY Gotham FC after the team secured its first NWSL Championship in 2023
- Yogi Berra’s Babe Ruth Crown, awarded to the cultural icon in 1975 for his lifetime batting achievements with the New York Yankees
- Justin Tuck’s 2008 and 2012 New York Giants Super Bowl rings, adorned with diamond-studded Vince Lombardi Trophies symbolizing the New York franchise’s titles
- Katie Ledecky’s 2025 Golden Goggles Award, presented by USA Swimming after she was named Female Athlete of the Year for a record tenth time
- Claressa Shields’s 2019 WBO Middleweight Championship belt, inscribed with “T-Rex,” her nickname. Shields is the first female boxer to hold all four major world titles and the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals, in 2012 and 2016.
“Every object in this exhibition honors what it means to be great, what it means to win,” said For the Win Guest Curator Vikki Tobak, author and journalist who also served as Guest Curator for Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry. “A ring, a medal, a trophy — each one marks the moment an athlete, a team, a dream defied the odds and made history. For the Win invites us to look closer at the things we'vemade to honor greatness, and what we find is the story of modern sports itself.”
“I grew up an obsessive sports fan on the Upper West Side. To be able to play a part in putting this exhibit together in walking distance from my childhood home is a true honor,” said For The Win senior advisor Rich Kleiman. “The American Museum of Natural History is iconic, and this exhibition has been a perfect collaboration in the celebration of winning at the highest level in sports. I’m excited for people to experience it.”
For the Win will be included with general admission. It is designed and produced by the Museum’s Exhibition Department.
World Cup, World Cultures: Celebrating the Community and Science of Sport at the Museum
For the Win will launch a series of programming and experiences to mark FIFA World Cup 2026. Rooted in the universal appeal of sports, World Cup, World Cultures will engage visitors in the science and communal experience of athletic competition.
Following the opening of For the Win, the Museum will debut two additional spaces offering all-ages interactive soccer activities and media installations that highlight iconic moments in global sports history. The series will also include live FIFA World Cup match viewings, hands-on educational programs that explore the biomechanics of athletic performance and the cultural significance of sports, a block party, and more. Additional details and the schedule for World Cup, World Cultures, will be available on amnh.org.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH)
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, founded in 1869 with a dual mission of scientific research and science education, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, galleries for temporary exhibitions, the Rose Center for Earth and Space including the Hayden Planetarium, and the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The Museum’s scientists draw on a world-class permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and objects, some of which are billions of years old, and onone of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum offers two degree-granting programs: the Ph.D. program in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Earth Science residency program. Visit amnh.org for more information.
