My son recently won a trophy for playing soccer.
Thats great ! Trophies are often awarded for sporting events from youth to professional .   
Where do you suppose the giving of trophies originated?  I figure it has something to do with war.
Originally the word trophy was derived from the Greek.
That makes sense.  They originated the Olympic Games, after all.
From my research another fact is that the word trophy coined in English in 1550 such a long time ago.
I figure the giving of a trophy has to be tied to war somehow.  Remember the old adage "to the victor go the spoils"?  I figure trophy has to be related to spoils of war.
headhunting) captured in battle. These war trophies commemorated the military victories of a state, army or individual combatant. In modern warfare trophy taking is discouraged, but this sense of the word is reflected in hunting trophies and human trophy collecting by serial killers.
A slang term for an individual or team's collection of trophies is silverware.
Etymology.
Trophies have marked victories since ancient times. The word "trophy", coined in English in 1550, was derived from the French "trophée" in 1513,
Trophy
A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in North America, rings) are often given out either as the trophy or along with more traditional trophies.
Originally the word trophy, derived from the Greek "tropaion", referred to arms, standards, other property, or human captives and body parts (e.g.,