This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Several sports leagues honor their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. The awards with the "player of the year" phrasing include these.

In association football, this award is held on both an international and national level.

• FIFA awards a worldwide men's and women's FIFA World Player of the Year, football's highest honor.
• English football leagues honor the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Scotland has similar awards, the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year and the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.
• Many organizations award "footballer of the year" awards. Among them are the European Footballer of the Year, African Footballer of the Year, and in English football the Football Writers' Association's FWA Footballer of the Year.

In US basketball, several such awards are given:

• The Oscar Robertson Trophy awarded to the college basketball player of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
• The Naismith College Player of the Year award is given to the best men's player and the best women's player.
• The NCAA gives the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award to the Division I men's basketball player who exemplifies the most character.
• The NBA awards an NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• The WNBA awards a WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

In baseball, publications sometimes issue awards with this name:

• The Sporting News awards a Major League Baseball player the TSN Player of the Year Award. This almost always goes to a position player, as the magazine has separate awards for pitchers.
• Similarly, Baseball America and USA Today designates their respective Minor League Player of the Year Award.

In lacrosse, two awards are given with this name, the Major League Lacrosse Offensive player of the Year Award and the Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award.

In cricket, awards for the leading international player are the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

In ice hockey, in the United Kingdom the Player of the Year Trophy is awarded by Ice Hockey Journalists UK.

[edit] See also

• Athlete of the Year