Athlete of the Year

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 Awards
• TIME Athlete of the Year
• L'Équipe Champion of Champions—excludes French nationals
• BBC World Sport Star of the Year—excludes British nationals
• The Sporting News Athlete of the Year
• 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

• European Sportsperson of the Year

Regional

• BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year

Nationwide

Awards that focus (either predominantly or exclusively) on sportspersons from the host country

Algeria

• Algeria Best Athletes of the Year Argentina
• Olimpia Award Australia
• AIS Athlete of the Year Austria
• Austrian Sportspersonality of the year Belgium
• Belgian Sportsman of the year Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year Brazil
• Prêmio Brasil Olímpico Bulgaria
• Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year 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
• Sportske novosti awards Czech Republic
• Sportsperson of the Year Denmark
• Danish Sports Name of the Year Estonia
• Estonian Sportspersonality of the year Finland
• Finnish Sports Personality of the Year France
• L'Équipe Champion of Champions Germany
• German Sportspersonality of the Year Greece
• PSAT Sports Awards Hungary
• Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year Iceland
• Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year India
• Khel Ratna Award Iran
• Iran Sportsperson of the year Ireland
• RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Italy
• Gazzetta Sports Awards
• Giuseppe Sciacca International Awards Sports Prize Jamaica
• Jamaica Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Japan
• Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize Kenya
• Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Latvia
• Latvian Sportspersonality of the year Lithuania
• Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year Luxembourg
• Luxembourgish Sportspeople of the Year Malaysia
• Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportsman of the Year
• Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportswoman of the Year Moldova
• Moldovan Sportsman of the year Montenegro
• Sportsperson of the Year Netherlands
• Dutch Sportsman of the year New Zealand
• Halberg Awards Norway
• Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year Philippines
• PSA Sportsman of the Year Poland
• Polish Sportspersonality of the Year Portugal
• CDP Awards Serbia
• Golden badge Sport—athlete of the year Slovakia
• Sportsperson of the Year Slovenia
• Slovenian Sportsman of the year South Africa
• South African Sportsperson of the Year Spain
• Premios Nacionales del Deporte Sweden
• Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
• Radiosportens Jerringpris
• Svenska idrottsgalan Switzerland
• Swiss Sports Personality of the Year Ukraine
• Heroes of Sports Year 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
• Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award
• Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year (ACC)
• Big Ten Athlete of the Year Vanuatu
• Vanuatu Sports Awards

Defunct

Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovakia Sportsperson of the Year USSR
• Soviet Union top ten athletes of the year Yugoslavia
• DSL Sport Golden Badge Best Athlete
• Sportske novosti Athlete of the Year

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)
  • All Stars Footballer of the Year (Gaelic football)
  • All Stars Hurler of the Year (hurling)
  • Ladies' Gaelic football All Stars Awards (Ladies' Gaelic football)
  • Camogie All Stars Awards (camogie)
  • Rounders All Stars Awards (rounders)
• 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.)

Footnotes

References

1. The [[Best Female College Basketball Player ESPY Award. Best Female]] and [[Best Male College Basketball Player ESPY Award. Best Male College Basketball]] and [[Best College Football Player ESPY Award]]s — awarded from [[1993 in sports. 1993]] to [[2001 in sports. 2001]] — were absorbed in [[2002 in sports. 2002]] by the [[Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award. Best Female]] and [[Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award]]s.