Man of the match

In team sports, the best player in a match is often given an award called man of the match or player of the match or woman of the match. This award is for the person who played the best during the game. It can be a player from either team, but usually, they choose someone from the team that won. Sometimes, different sports have special ways of giving out these awards. They are really important in big games like championships or games where the best players from different teams compete. In Australia, they use the term "best and fairest" to talk about these awards, both for single games and for the whole season. In some places like North America, they call this award the "most valuable player" (MVP) or "most outstanding player" (MOP) in certain competitions. In ice hockey in North America, they even recognize three players as the best in the game, calling them the "three stars". In sports where the winner is decided by a series of games, like basketball and baseball, they often give out MVP awards for the whole series. In ice hockey's NHL, they also give an MVP award for how well a player performs throughout the entire playoffs.

Association football

In Association football, the "man of the match" (MOTM) prize usually goes to a player on the winning team. Players who score three goals in a game, or goalkeepers who keep a clean sheet that is to prevent the opposing team from scoring, often receive the prize. Those who score three goals also get the match ball, even if they aren't officially named the player of the match. The man of the match is usually picked by a TV commentator or a sponsor. But, not all competitions have an official player of the match prize, so sometimes recognition is given by websites or newspapers instead. In the Premier League, for instance, a player gets a small black and gold trophy for their player of the match performance. When given in a less formal way (like by a columnist), the MOTM prize might be given ironically. For instance, it could go to the referee if the writer thinks the referee affected the outcome due to what they see as mistakes.

Australian rules football

In Australian rules football, the best player of the game is called the "best on ground" (or "BOG"). The media recognises this, even though it's not official. They usually give points on a scale of 5–4–3–2–1 or 3–2–1 to players. The AFL officially chooses the player of the game based on the votes umpires give during the Brownlow Medal count at the end of the season. Sometimes, there are exceptions during the season for certain important games like the Western Derby, The ANZAC Day clash, QClash, and Showdown. In these games, special awards are given after the match. On the day of the AFL Grand Final, an independent group of Australian rules football experts chooses the player who performed the best and they get the Norm Smith Medal.

Cricket

In cricket, the award for the best player in the match became common in Test matches around the middle of the 1980s. The best player of the match award is usually given to the player who had the most important role in helping the team win the game. In a match that took place on 3 April 1996, the entire team from New Zealand received the Men of the Match award. This was the first time a whole team got this award. In a test match played between 15th and 18th January 1999, South Africa played against West Indies. In that match, the entire South African team was given the man of the match award. In Test matches, Jacques Kallis has the most awards received, with 23 awards in 166 matches played. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), Sachin Tendulkar has the most man of the match titles, receiving 62 awards in 463 matches played. Tendulkar is followed by Sanath Jayasuriya, who, together with Ricky Ponting, also has the most Man of the Match titles as captain. In the shortest format of the game, T20 Internationals, this record is held by Virat Kohli, who has won 15 awards in 115 matches.

Ice Hockey

In North American ice hockey, the three players who do the best in the game, often those who get the most points or are really good goalkeepers, are usually called the three stars of the game: the best player is the "first star", the next is the "second star", and the third best is the "third star". This started in the 1930s to promote a brand of gasoline called "Three Star". But in games played internationally (and outside North America), the idea of three stars isn't used very much. Instead, other leagues might give an award to just one player who did the best in the game.

Rugby Football

Both types of rugby, rugby league and rugby union, usually give awards for the best player of the match. In matches that are on TV or sponsored, someone like a commentator or sponsor usually decides who gets the award, and the winner gets it after the match.

For example, in men's rugby league, awards like the Clive Churchill Medal in the National Rugby League Grand Final, the Karyn Murphy Medal in the NRL Women's Grand Final, the Lance Todd Trophy in the Challenge Cup final, and the Harry Sunderland Trophy in the Super League Grand Final are given.

College Basketball and Gridiron Football

In college basketball and college football, which are the two most watched college sports in the United States, a top player from each team is usually named "player of the game." These players usually can't get physical prizes because of the rules of the NCAA. Instead, TV companies showing the game or business sponsors often give money to the scholarship funds of each school, using the names of the winning players.

During college basketball's Final Four events, a Most Outstanding Player award is given for the best performance in both the semi-final and championship game. There's also a Most Outstanding Player award for each of the four regional games, based on how well players did in the regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen) and final (Elite Eight).