Capitalization: Sporting events and trophies

On this page

• When to capitalize
  • Long form
  • Short form
• When not to capitalize

When to capitalize

This section discusses when to capitalize the long and short forms of the names of sporting events and trophies.

Long form

Capitalize the official and familiar names of major sporting events and trophies:

• the Olympic Games
• the Olympics
• the XXXIV Olympiad
• the Paralympic Games
• the Paralympics
• the World Series
• the King’s Plate
• the Canada Cup of Curling
• the Stanley Cup
• the Grey Cup

Short form

Capitalize the abbreviated name of the sporting event or trophy in subsequent references:

• Want to watch the World Series with us? Game 2 of the Series will be played today.
• A new Stanley Cup isn’t made every year. Winners get to keep the Cup during the summer and for a few days during the season.

When not to capitalize

Don’t capitalize the names of sports, sporting events or trophies when used in a general sense:

• I played basketball in high school.
• My senior year, my team won the finals, and I got to take the trophy home.
• Many Canadian universities have a women’s basketball team.