"A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold"
About this Quote
The intent is gratitude, but the subtext is endurance. Baseball’s calendar is built to grind ego down to size; even the best players fail most of the time. Calling the trophy “wonderful” sounds understated until you remember what it represents: surviving a 162-game test of attention and health, then emerging from October’s pressure cooker. The line also sidesteps the self-centered language athletes are often expected to use. Stargell isn’t the subject; the trophy is. That humility doubles as leadership, the kind that made him the emotional center of the 1979 “We Are Family” Pirates, a team that turned clubhouse chemistry into a civic mood.
Context matters: Stargell played in an era when athletes were becoming brands, but he’s pointing to something older and sturdier than marketing - the communal artifact of a championship. The trophy isn’t just seen; it’s witnessed, like proof that the suffering meant something.
Quote Details
| Topic | Victory |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Stargell, Willie. (2026, January 16). A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-world-series-trophy-is-a-wonderful-thing-to-96716/
Chicago Style
Stargell, Willie. "A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-world-series-trophy-is-a-wonderful-thing-to-96716/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-world-series-trophy-is-a-wonderful-thing-to-96716/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.



