Most Valuable Player

Guide Note

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award recognizes the player on a team who makes the greatest contribution to their team’s success. It is most commonly awarded in sports competition at both the professional and amateur levels.

In the U.S. for most professional sports the league MVP is selected by a nationwide vote of selected members of the media and there is only one official MPV award. In college sports it gets more complex. The NCAA awards the 'Most Outstanding Player Award' for every sanctioned sport, this award is specifically stated not to be an MVP award. However in reality is considered as such. The 'Outstanding Player Award' is awarded by committee action.

At the professional level MPV awards are given by Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and the WNBA.

The most widely know college MVP award is the Heisman Trophy awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the U.S. by the Downtown Athletic Club. In college basketball the NCAA has a Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award which is often referred to as a most valuable player award.

Fast Facts

1. The first MLB MVP of the modern era awarded in 1931 to Lefty Grove and Frankie Frisch
2. The first NFL MVP was awarded in 1938 to Mel Hein
3. The first NBA MVP was awarded in 1956 to Bob Pettit
4. The first NHL MVP was awarded in 1924 to Frank Nighbor
5. The WNBA selected Cynthia Cooper as its first MVP in 1997

Notable MVPs

Wayne Gretzky hold the record for the most MVP awards in professional sports. He was selected MVP nine times while playing for Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. MLB player Barry Bonds has been selected MPV seven times during his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. Legendary NBA player Kareem Abdul Jabbar holds that league's record having been selected MVP six times during his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. In the NFL Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers and Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns were each select MVP three times.