Throughout my time at Bucknell, I’ve witnessed countless trends that have spread through our student body like wildfire, infecting nearly everyone in their path. There’s a current trend that’s practically impossible to ignore. They come in all colors of the rainbow—pink, white, black, blue, green, orange—and they seem to be everywhere you look. I mean really, you see them everywhere. You guessed it: Stanley Cups.

But as I think through the sea of oversized cups on campus, I can’t help but wonder: what’s the big deal? Sure, they’re flashy and eye-catching, but let’s talk about practicality for a moment. Unlike a regular water bottle that you can easily stash in your bag, these Stanley Cups demand constant attention. You have to quite literally hold on to them as you make your way from class to class while making sure it’s not tilting sideways. 

Plus, there’s the ever-present risk of spills—thanks to their open tops and exposed straws, one wrong move could spell disaster. And don’t get me started on the size of these things. Seriously, do we really need to be carrying around cups the size of small buckets just to stay hydrated?

“They’re overpriced, overrated, overhyped and oversized,” said Omid Mohammadi ’25.

I mean, sure, hydration is important, but we have water fountains all over campus for a reason. It’s not like we’re walking through the desert here. Bucknell is located in the middle of Pennsylvania, not the Sahara Desert.

I understood when Hydroflasks became super popular a few years ago, as many started to use eco-friendly water bottles to reduce waste. But these cups are taking it too far, and I don’t understand why people don’t realize that. 

But despite all these practical concerns, the Stanley Cup craze shows no signs of slowing down. Everywhere I look, it’s Stanley Cup this, Stanley Cup that. It’s like we’ve all collectively forgotten that simpler is often better. So why do we continue to cling to these oversized status symbols? Is it because we want to fit in with the crowd, or because we genuinely believe that bigger is better? 

I’ve asked myself these questions time and time again, but I’ve yet to come up with a satisfying answer. All I know is that there’s something inherently ridiculous about carrying around a giant cup everywhere you go. Call me crazy, but I’ll stick to my trusty random water bottle, thank you very much. In the end, maybe the Stanley Cup craze is just another passing trend, destined to be replaced by the next big thing. If you read into it, it could just be a symptom of a larger obsession with excess and extravagance.  

I genuinely want to better understand the hype though, and maybe I’ll end up changing my mind. Either way, I can’t help but feel like we’ve lost sight of what’s truly important: staying hydrated in a way that’s practical, sustainable and—dare I say it—just a little bit sensible.