In sports, a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests. Initially used in professional sports, the term is now also commonly used in amateur sports, as well as in other completely unrelated fields of endeavor such as business and music awards. A similar award in some sports is man of the match. The term Most Valuable Player is most often used in the United States.

Specific American examples include (first regular season, then playoffs):

• MLB Most Valuable Player Award and World Series MVP Award
• NFL Most Valuable Player Award and Super Bowl MVP Award
• National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award and NBA Finals MVP Award
• WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and WNBA Finals MVP Award
• National Hockey League Hart Trophy (regular season) and Conn Smythe Trophy (playoffs)

One award is commonly referred to as an "MVP" award, despite the fact that its official name does not match the "MVP" initialism:

• NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award

In the Australian Football League, the AFL Players Association awards a "Most Valuable Player" award now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy, voted by peers and considered by many observers of the game to be more indicative of the Best and Fairest player than the Brownlow Medal.

Non-sports uses

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MVP is often used in business to designate a valued employee. In this context, sometimes the "P" in "MVP" is something other than "Player." So, for example, Microsoft uses MVP to mean Most Valuable Professional. The term is applied to recognized, credible, and accessible individuals with expertise in one or more Microsoft products who actively participate in online and offline communities to share their knowledge and expertise with other Microsoft customers.

MVP is also a title given in the MMORPG Ragnarok Online to a player that deals and takes most damage in a fight with a boss monster. The boss monsters are called MVPs in player slang.

Sports in the United States | Sports terminology | Sports trophies and awards

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