The Most Valuable Player Award is Broken

The Most Valuable Player Award is broken.

All of them are. However, this article was inspired by the current hubbub surrounding the NBA MVP race.

Currently, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is looking to be a lock for his fourth MVP Award. He is undeniably one of the best players in the world and plays a crucial role in the Nuggets’ success.

But it may not be strictly his play running in the MVP race for him.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1867644199082111442?t=fHqYjPbpzkwbUBscDA1lAw&s=19

Sorry, But Your (Media) Standings Matter

In both the literal and figurative sense, the media exposure a player gets whilst running for MVP can make or break a campaign.

This is self-explanatory: Members of the media vote on these awards. From sportswriters to personalities who make regular TV appearances, the media is the end-all, be-all for any award.

Judge, jury, and executioner. In the figurative sense, they draft up narratives, some of which have no or a weak basis, and run with it the entire season.

Just take a look at Jokic and his current MVP case. Right now, the Joker is averaging 30.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game. The Nuggets sit at 16-12 and fifth in the Western Conference, tied with the Lakers and Clippers.

Despite this, Jokic is uncontested at No. 1 on the NBA’s Kia MVP Ladder.

This is a stark contrast to this time last season, where Mavericks guard Luka Doncic was averaging 33.7/8.4/9.2 a night. The Mavericks were battling for the third seed in the West, so they even had the pedigree the Nuggets don’t possess right now.

Despite this, Doncic wasn’t a factor in the MVP race. The December 12th KIA MVP Ladder had him fifth despite possibly having the best year of everyone on the list up to that point.

Later in the year, Luka’s numbers got better, but his campaign for MVP got worse as the Mavs slipped down the West’s pecking order. The ladder would make a damming statement to anyone pro-Pravi MVP: “Sorry, Mavs fans, but the standings matter.”

The Shift

Seemingly, the ladder system as a whole underwent massive change.

The current consensus NBA MVP is scrapping near Play-In territory, not far removed from a brutal loss to an all-time terrible Washington Wizards team.

Not that it was his fault, of course— he scored 56 points, snagged 16 rebounds, and had eight dimes. His performance — nothing short of brilliant — earned widespread acclaim in the media. In stark contrast, a certain Slovenian Mavs guard once dropped 73 points on the Atlanta Hawks in a victory.

Yet, national television and social media erupted with cries of “Where has the NBA’s defense gone?”.

Two brilliant players with two different stories. This is the problem. Well, half of it, anyway. This is, unfortunately, not exclusive to the NBA either.

Last year, this same media narrative of “record is everything” won Lamar Jackson his second MVP, despite him having very average stats for his standards, let alone NFL MVP standards. The NFL MVP has seemingly become the best QB award, as that is the most glamorous position in football.

Meanwhile, in college, many call the Heisman Trophy “a popularity contest” after Colorado’s Travis Hunter won it over Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. At this point, Colorado is a much bigger brand than Boise State. This is not the concrete reason Hunter won the award, but it will be food for thought for the rest of time.

It’s Not “Most Valuable,” but it’s not “The Best Player” Either

To be honest, it’s never been the Most Valuable Player.

If it were, then Dak Prescott would have won the NFL’s honor last season— see their current play at quarterback for more details. Francisco Lindor would’ve been considered more for the NL MVP, and Naphessa Collier would’ve likely won this year’s WNBA MVP. At least the two latter runner-ups were behind the best players from their respective leagues.

It’s become all too common to see the award not serve its secondary purpose.

Seasons like Calvin Johnson‘s record-breaking 2012, CJ2K in 2009, and Cooper Kupp‘s triple-crowned 2021? Tossed aside for the best quarterbacking talents of the year.

Even this year, Ja’Marr Chase is in the running for the triple crown himself, and Saquon Barkley is eyeing down the single-season rushing record. If either reaches that goal, they should at least be considered for the award. They would be some of the best players, after all.

In all likelihood, they won’t. Why?

The answer is sadly simple. It’s not about “most valuable” or even “best player” anymore. The best players are continually left off the ballots even though they fit the criteria, and the voting process continues to encourage them to do so. Before too long, there will be more MVPs that look like 2023-24 Lamar Jackson and fewer that look like 2007-08 Tom Brady, and being the best will have little merit anymore.

The Fix?

Sitting on a phone and rambling about how MVP voting stinks now is one thing, but that accomplishes nothing.

What could get something changed is making suggestions about what to change. I’ve made some suggestions for change to improve how the Most Valuable Player is awarded.

1. Television analysts are automatically barred from voting on MVP. The MVP voting committee will consist of one selected reporter from each team.
2. As the season goes along, either monthly or weekly, make those voting on MVP fill out a top-five ballot. Throughout the season, count how many times a player shows up on a ballot and in what place they showed up.
3. At the end of the season, take the five players with the most ballot appearances and put their resumes together. The players will identify as Player A, Player B, and so forth to eliminate any influence of brand names. Resumes will include counting stats, such as points per game, and advanced stats, like TS%, to ensure a comprehensive assessment of each player’s performance. Voters will then rank the resumes 1-5, and the player with the most 1st place votes will win MVP.

But Why?

A lot to unpack here.

First, television voices are banned from voting because they most influence the media narrative surrounding a player. NFL Live analyst Dan Orlovsky declared the NFL MVP race over in Josh Allen‘s favor this past Monday, and he has an MVP vote.

He already knows who he’s voting for, and the season has three weeks left. His inability to see the season out is chilling, considering other players could play themselves into consideration. People who can drive a media narrative like Orlovsky can’t be trusted to vote in good faith. That’s also why every team in whatever league implements this gets a vote; avoiding overrepresentation/bias from one team is key.

Making It About The Best

The second point aims to select the top players as finalists while preventing the early crowning of an MVP with time to spare in the season. Under this method, the whole season will matter.

Two Birds, One Stone

The final part covers both big plagues that are sickening the MVP in sports. Anonymous resumes allow voters to choose based on merit rather than personal bias or brand recognition. We initially included the team record, but this would reveal the player’s team and incentivize voters to focus on the record instead.

All in all, flaws are probably being overlooked, but it’s a start. It’s certainly better than today’s system, where the media dominates and deserving players lack recognition.

It’s essential that MVP regain its prestige, and the sooner something is done, the sooner it can be accomplished.