Generally, MVP awards are given at the conclusion of a multi-step process. In most professional sports leagues, the overall pool of players is initially narrowed down to a list of nominees, called finalists, forming a group from which the individual winner is decided based on regular season performance. This process is typically performing by way of a
vote, wherein voters are usually either other players, members of the
media and/or
coaches. The specifics of this process varies across leagues. Some prominent examples of sports that conduct MVP awards are baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, handball and rugby.
Baseball In
MLB, MVP voting takes place before the
postseason, but the results are not announced until after the
World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961. The BBWAA does not offer a clear-cut definition of what "most valuable" means, instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters. The most recent recipients of the award is
Shohei Ohtani of the
Los Angeles Dodgers and
Aaron Judge of the
New York Yankees.
Basketball In the
NBA, the protocol for selecting
the MVP has shifted throughout the year. Through the 1979–80 season, the basketball players themselves comprised the MVP voting bloc up. Since the start of the 1980 NBA season, a panel of broadcasters and sportswriters are brought together to vote on the MVP award. Every person on the panel casts a vote for their first-place selection all the way to their fifth. A first-place vote nets a player 10 points while a second is worth seven, a third worth five, a fourth worth three, and a fifth worth one. At the end of the voting, the player with the most overall points wins the award. The most recent recipient of the award is
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the
Oklahoma City Thunder.
American football In the
NFL, the MVP award is voted upon by a panel of 50 sportswriters at the end of the
regular season, before the
playoffs, though the results are not announced to the public until the day before the
Super Bowl. The sportswriters chosen regularly follow the NFL, and remain mostly consistent from year to year. They are chosen based on expertise and are independent of the league itself. The most recent recipient of the award is
Matthew Stafford of the
Los Angeles Rams.
Ice hockey In the
NHL, the MVP award voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the
Professional Hockey Writers' Association, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 point(s) system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs. The most recent recipient of the award is
Connor Hellebuyck of the
Winnipeg Jets.
Field lacrosse In the
PLL, the MVP award (and all other awards) are selected by a two-round voting process. In first round voting, players and coaches will vote to determine nominees for each award. In second round voting, Media, PLL Front Office, and PLL Lacrosse Advisory Board vote on nominees to determine winners. Award winners are announced during the Awards Ceremony at the end of the season. The most recent recipient of the award is
Jeff Teat of the
New York Atlas.
Box lacrosse In the
NLL, the MVP award (and all other awards) nominees are voted on by select media. Each ballot allowed the voting members to rank their top five choices for the award. Each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 point(s) system (similar to the NHL system). The top three vote accumulating individuals will be announced as the finalists for the award. The finalist who accumulated the most points after the voting period ended will be the award winner. In the case of a tie, the tiebreaker is to be decided by the individual who received the most 1st Place votes, followed by the number of 2nd place votes, and so on, until a winner is decided. The most recent recipient of the award is
Connor Fields of the
Rochester Knighthawks.
Association football MVP is more commonly referred to in
association football as "Player of the Season.” In the
FIFA World Cup, the award is called the
Golden Ball and is chosen by the
FIFA Technical Study Group. The most recent recipient of the award is
Lionel Messi of
Argentina, winning it in the
2022 FIFA World Cup. In the
Premier League,
Player of the Season is chosen by a panel assembled by the league's
sponsors consisting of members of "football's governing bodies, the media and fans,” and is announced in the second or third week of May. The most recent recipient of the award is
Mohamed Salah of
Liverpool F.C. ==In philosophy of sport==