Most valuable player facts for kids
In team sports, a Most Valuable Player award (often called MVP) is a special honor. It's given to a player whose individual performance is the best in a whole league, a specific competition, or on their own team. The award celebrates how much one player's efforts help their team. It also highlights how excellent and outstanding a player's performance is compared to others.
The term "MVP" can mean different things depending on the situation. A "League MVP" is the best player in an entire sports league. A "Team MVP" is the most valuable player on a specific team. In many sports, MVP awards are given for just one game, like a "player of the match" award. This often happens in big games, such as championship finals. For example, a "Finals MVP" award goes to the most valuable player in a championship series.
The famous ice hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, has won the MVP award more times than anyone else in major North American sports. He won it a record nine times during his career, with eight of those wins happening one after another! Barry Bonds is second, winning the MVP award seven times in Major League Baseball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA MVP award six times, and Michael Jordan won it five times. Peyton Manning won the NFL MVP five times.
It's important to know that an MVP isn't always on the winningest team. Sometimes, a player can be named MVP even if their team doesn't make the playoffs or win the championship. For example, in professional basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the 1975–76 MVP award even though his team didn't make the postseason. Also, Jerry West won the 1969 NBA Finals MVP Award even though his team lost the finals. In football, Johnny Unitas won the 1967 MVP award without making the playoffs. Similarly, Chuck Howley won the 1971 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award even though his team lost Super Bowl V. In baseball, Bobby Richardson won the 1960 World Series MVP Award, but his team lost the World Series.
The term "MVP" is most common in the United States and Canada. In many other countries, people use "player of the year" for season-long awards. For individual games, they often say "player of the match". In Australia, Australian rules football clubs use "best and fairest" for their top players.
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History of the MVP Award
The very first Most Valuable Player award in North American sports started in professional baseball in the early 1900s. After the 1911 baseball season, a group of sportswriters decided to pick the "most important and useful players." These players received The Chalmers Award. It was named after Hugh Chalmers, a car maker who wanted to sell more cars. The first winners were Ty Cobb and Frank Schulte. This award stopped in 1955 because it didn't help sell more cars.
Later, from 1922 to 1928, an MVP award was given in the American League. From 1924 to 1929, it was given in the National League. During this time, players could only win the award once. The MVP award as we know it today in Major League Baseball began in 1931.
How MVPs Are Chosen
Most MVP awards are decided through a multi-step process. First, a large group of players is narrowed down to a few nominees, called finalists. Then, the winner is chosen based on their performance during the regular season. This choice is usually made by a vote. The voters are often other players, members of the media, or coaches. The exact rules for voting change depending on the sport. Some popular sports that give MVP awards include baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer.
Baseball MVP Voting
In MLB, MVP voting happens before the playoffs. However, the winners aren't announced until after the World Series. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) handles the voting. They don't give a strict definition of "most valuable." Instead, they let each voter decide what that means.
Basketball MVP Voting
In the NBA, the way the MVP is chosen has changed over time. Before the 1980 season, the basketball players themselves voted for the MVP. Since 1980, a group of broadcasters and sportswriters vote for the award. Each person on the panel votes for their top five players. A first-place vote gives a player 10 points, second place gets 7 points, third gets 5, fourth gets 3, and fifth gets 1. The player with the most points wins the award.
American Football MVP Voting
In the NFL, a group of 50 sportswriters votes for the MVP award. This vote happens at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs. The results are kept secret until the day before the Super Bowl. The sportswriters chosen are experts who regularly follow the NFL. They are independent and not part of the league itself.
Ice Hockey MVP Voting
In the NHL, the Hart Memorial Trophy (the MVP award) voting happens at the end of the regular season. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote. Each voter ranks their top five players using a point system: 10 points for first place, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, and 1 for fifth. Three finalists are announced, and the trophy is given out at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.
Lacrosse MVP Voting
In the PLL, MVP awards are chosen through a two-round voting process. First, players and coaches vote to pick the nominees for each award. Then, media members, PLL staff, and the PLL Lacrosse Advisory Board vote on these nominees to decide the winners. The award winners are announced at a ceremony at the end of the season.
In the NLL, MVP nominees are chosen by select media members. Each voter ranks their top five choices using a point system similar to the NHL: 10, 7, 5, 3, and 1 point. The top three players with the most points become finalists. The finalist with the most points wins. If there's a tie, the player with more first-place votes wins.
Soccer MVP Voting
In association football (soccer), the MVP award is more commonly called "Player of the Season." In the FIFA World Cup, the award for the best player is called the Golden Ball. This winner is chosen by a special group called the FIFA Technical Study Group.
In the Premier League, the Player of the Season is chosen by a panel. This panel includes people from football's governing bodies, the media, and fans. The winner is usually announced in May.
Examples of MVP Awards
- Major League Baseball's American and National Leagues, AL & NL Championship Series, and World Series
- National Football League regular season and Super Bowl
- Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award (National Hockey League regular season) and Conn Smythe Trophy (playoffs)
- National Basketball Association regular season and Finals
- Woman National Basketball Association regular season and Finals
- Major League Soccer regular season and MLS Cup
- Canadian Football League regular season and Grey Cup
- College football's Heisman Trophy
- NCAA basketball tournament
- Indian Premier League (cricket)
- National Basketball League regular season and Grand Final (Australia)
- Leigh Matthews Trophy, given by the AFL Players Association to the AFL's most valuable player
See also
In Spanish: MVP para niños
- Athlete of the Year
- Most Outstanding Player (disambiguation)
