Athlete of the Year
Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition.
Definition of "athlete"
- In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participates in the various disciplines of athletics (track and field, racewalking, cross country and road running)
- In other nations — including Canada and the United States — an "athlete" equals "sportsperson" (from any sport).
Similar names for the award
The awards have various titles, examples include "Player of the Year" and "Sportspersonality of the Year". In the United States, several states choose a simple "Mr." or "Miss" prefix, such as Mr. Basketball (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin). Such awards — general and one-sport-only — are common at the high-school, college (university), and professional levels in the United States.
List of athlete of the year awards
Athletics (track and field)
- World's Greatest Athlete (decathlon)
- IAAF World Athlete of the Year (International Athletic Foundation of the International Association of Athletics Federations)
- European Athlete of the Year Trophy
- Track & Field News Athlete of the Year
- The Bowerman (collegiate track & field's athlete of the year)
All sports
- Worldwide
- Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year (Laureus World Sports Academy)
- Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions—excludes French nationals
- BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year—excludes British nationals
- Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award
- United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year
- Country-specific
Argentina
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Australia
Austria
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Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
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Canada
- Lou Marsh Trophy (athlete of the year, of either sex)
- Lionel Conacher Award (male athlete of the year)
- Bobbie Rosenfeld Award (female athlete of the year)
- Velma Springstead Trophy (female athlete of the year)
- Tom Longboat Awards (indigenous athletes)
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
India
Iran
Ireland
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Netherlands
Norway
New Zealand
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Scotland
Serbia
- Golden badge Sport—athlete of the year
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
- Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
- Radiosportens Jerringpris
- Svenska idrottsgalan
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
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Wales
United States
Because these awards are given by American organizations, the winners are usually, but not always, Americans. Also, the presence of the word "Sportsman" in the name of an award does not imply that the award is open solely to men; women have frequently won these awards.
- Associated Press Athlete of the Year (AP)
- Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
- Best Male Athlete ESPY Award
- Sporting News Sportsman/Pro Athlete of the Year
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
- Sportswoman of the Year Award (Women's Sports Foundation)
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (UPI) (defunct)
- NCAA Woman of the Year Award (student-athlete)
- Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award[1]
- Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award[1]
- Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year (ACC)
One sport (other than track and field)
- International Baseball Federation Senior Athlete of the Year
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (U.S. Soccer Federation) (association football)
- Golden Year Award at association football, Neymar last winner
- Leigh Matthews Trophy (Australian Football League) (Australian rules football)
- Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award (Canadian football)
- GAA All Stars Awards (Gaelic games)
- National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (U.S.) (American football)
- Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (Japan)
- MLB Most Valuable Player Award (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada)
- Players Choice Awards Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada)
- Sporting News Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada)
- Sporting News MLB Athlete of the Decade (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada)
- ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (Atlantic Coast Conference) (college/university) (U.S.)
- Baseball America High School Player of the Year Award (U.S.)
See also
Footnotes
- The Best Female and Best Male College Basketball and Best College Football Player ESPY Awards — awarded from 1993 to 2001 — were absorbed in 2002 by the Best Female and Best Male College Athlete ESPY Awards.