Ben Baller Gifts 2021 NFL Fan of the Year With Custom Iced-Out Gold Chain
HYPEBEAST spoke with the diamond expert about the Captain Morgan-backed design.
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In the words of Ben Baller, “Sundays are owned by the NFL.” That statement certainly holds true for most football fans across the nation; however, there exists a select group of ultra-fans who have turned their love for the sport into an everyday lifestyle, generating an entirely new meaning for what it means to be a big-league devotee.
As the Official Spiced Rum Sponsor of the NFL, Captain Morgan looked to highlight those superfans with the 2021 NFL Fan of the Year contest in an effort to celebrate individuals who have offered an “original spice” to their respective football fandoms. The No. 1 spiced rum brand also highlighted several Fan of the Year nominees in a docuseries titled We Bring On the Spice, hosted by NFL legend Victor Cruz. Each team nominated their individual Fan of the Year in November before they were flown out to Los Angeles for an all-access Super Bowl week experience and presented with an exclusive letterman jacket by Captain Morgan last week.
Among almost 35,000 submissions, the NFL selected a total of 32 Fan of the Year nominees, each of whom were placed in the running for the coveted title of “Ultimate Fan of the Year.” And besides the lavish title, a one-of-a-kind, iced-out chain created by Ben Baller and presented by Captain Morgan was up for grabs. The chain is the fourth and largest chain of the Ben Baller x Captain Morgan “Captain on Ice” partnership.
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“The fans really are the people that the players want to play for, and they add so much energy to the environment because they love the game so much,” Taylor Rooks, an American sports journalist and broadcaster for Bleacher Report and Turner Sports, told HYPEBEAST. “I love that Captain Morgan and the NFL decided to do something that was dedicated to just spotlighting them and letting them have this really cool once-in-a-lifetime experience because most people don’t even get to come and experience Super Bowl week.”
On Thursday, February 10, the NFL announced the Ultimate Fan of the Year winner — Henry Ison of the Atlanta Falcons — during its 11th annual NFL Honors ceremony. There, Baller presented Ison with his one-of-one design, crowning him with the top title for the 2021 season during the televised event.
Ison, a Vietnam veteran and community activist, has held a season ticket to the Falcons’ games since 1971. The loyal superfan has attended the team’s games for more than 50 years, in three different home stadiums and across the nation for away games, including an annual road trip to New Orleans for the Falcon’s yearly division rivalry match against the Saints.
As for the chain, Captain Morgan approached Baller, who has previously worked with a multitude of NFL players, on custom jewelry, with initial ideas for the design. But as soon as the top-shelf jeweler learned that the piece would be presented at NFL Honors, he adjusted his design concept to be something completely original.
Captain Morgan
“When I found out this was going to be on TV, I said, oh s***, I need to turn this to another level,” said Baller. “I decided to make a one of a kind Fan of the Year field goal post link. The entire necklace is all field goal posts, and that right there makes it so unique.”
“It’s nuts,” Rooks confirmed. “It’s big and it’s heavy. I saw Ben Baller at NFL Honors and he said to me, ‘Taylor, this chain is hurting my neck.’”
Following the NFL Honors ceremony, Captain Morgan tapped Rooks to host an exclusive Fan of the Year brunch in Downtown Los Angeles, attended by all nominees and a selection of VIP guests, including Baller and Cruz, ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl. While the leading rum label served up cocktails for attendees and each Fan of the Year nominee mingled next to a Captain Morgan-branded pool, Rooks, Cruz and Baller toasted to Ison’s super-fanaticism and spoke about the chain’s significance in the NFL. Following, all Fan of the Year nominees were presented with a custom Captain Morgan letterman jacket, commemorating their unique spice and dedication to their team.
“Being a big fan of the NFL all my life, it meant so much to me to make the ultimate NFL Fan of the Year chain,” Baller said. “It is all 100 percent real solid gold, all of the diamonds are VVS average clarity.”
“The Fan of the Year nominees are next-level,” he added. “I mean, the Jets Fan of the Year worked security just to be closer to her team. That’s a baller move, right there. So, it was only right that Captain Morgan and I put something extra special together.”
Take a look at images from the event and Ben Baller’s Captain Morgan-embossed NFL Fan of the Year chain in the gallery above.
Elsewhere, revisit all the happenings at Super Bowl LVI.
