In sports, a most valuable player award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual as the most performing player (or players) in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. Initially used in professional sports, the term is now also commonly used in amateur sports, as well as in other unrelated fields such as media,[3][4] business,[citation needed], music[citation needed] and multiplayer video games[citation needed]. In many sports, MVP awards are presented for a specific match—in other words, a player of the match award. This is particularly true for high profile matches like championship games.
The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In most other countries around the world, "player of the year" is used for a season-spanning award and "player of the match" for individual games. In Australia, Australian rules football clubs and leagues use the term "best and fairest", while those playing rugby league use "player of the year", such as the Dally M Medal.[5] The National Basketball League, however, uses the American-style "MVP" for its awards.[citation needed]
In many cases the awards are voted on by members of the media.[citation needed] In others the vote is by players, coaches, or umpires.[citation needed] In recent years,[when?] online polls from the public decide some awards.[citation needed]
Examples include: