Sports all around the world bestow awards upon competitors who are the best in their field. From basketball to Australian Rules Football to Formula 1, the winners are all awarded for their excellence. This list will go through these three sports and some of the awards that are given out and why.
NBA basketball
A popular sport around the world, basketball is home in the United States with the National Basketball Association (NBA) being the elite form of the game. All teams fight for the main prize at the end of the finals: The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy but there are several other awards given out for other fields of the game.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) is awarded to the player who is deemed given the best performance during the regular season. The player who wins this receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. The Most Improved Player (MIP) as the name suggests, is given to a player who has improved in the current season compared to his performance in previous seasons. Rookie of the Year goes to the best rookie of the regular season as voted by American broadcasters and sportswriters.
Australian Football League (AFL)
AFL is a national pastime in Australia. It is played all over the country and has a massive following. There are 18 teams, all of which vie to get to and win the Grand Final. The team that wins the Grand Final earns the coveted AFL Premiership Cup, while each individual player gets a Premiership medal.
The best player on ground that day receives the Norm Smith Medal, while the player who kicked the most goals earns the Jack Collins Medal. There is an award for young elite players under 21 deemed the best of the season called the AFL Rising Star. The Ron Evans medal since has been awarded to AFL Rising Star winners since 2007. The Brownlow Medal is awarded to the player voted to be the ‘best and fairest’ throughout the season. The John Coleman medal is given to the player who kicks the most goals over the entire home and away season.
Formula1
Formula1 racing is truly an international sport, with races occurring annually all over the world in exotic locations such as Abu Dhabi, Monaco, Australia, Bahrain, and Mexico.
There are two main championships to win in this sport: The World Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors Championship.
The World Drivers’ Championship is awarded to one driver at the end of the season. Points are calculated by a system to ascertain how successful drivers have performed in a race and generally, the driver with the most wins is awarded the championship.
Constructors are the entities that make the chassis and engines of the vehicles and align themselves with a team. As every team has two cars and two drivers, any points awarded to the drivers are also given to the Constructor. The constructor with the most points at the end of the season is declared the winner of the Constructors Championship.
Whoever wins an individual Grand Prix race is given a trophy on the podium after the race. It is interesting to note that drivers don’t usually keep their trophies. They are handed back to the FIA. Even the Championship trophies are only kept for a year before they are handed back to be awarded to the next season’s winners.
