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 for men, heptathlon for women)
- World Athlete of the Year (World Athletics formerly known as the IAAF)
- European Athlete of the Year (European Athletic Association)
- Track & Field News Athlete of the Year
- The Bowerman (collegiate track & field's athlete of the year)
All sports
- Worldwide
Awards with deliberate global scope, consistently nominating an international mix of athletes
- 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
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award
- Gazzetta Sports Awards
- Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize
- United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year
- Continental
- Regional
- Nationwide
Awards that focus (either predominantly or exclusively) on sportspersons from the host country
Algeria
Argentina
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Australia
Austria
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Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
India
Iran
Ireland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Moldova
Montenegro
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Serbia
- Golden badge Sport—athlete of the year
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
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Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
- BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year
- BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
United States
The presence of "Sportsman" in the name doesn't 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 Sportsperson of the Year
- USOC Athlete 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)
Vanuatu
- Defunct
Czechoslovakia
Soviet Union
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Yugoslavia
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
- 1 2 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.