Winning a unanimous MVP in sports is one of those eccentric, niche milestones that seemingly only truly great superstars can achieve. But with these honors usually voted on by media members — who are fans of the sport they cover first — sometimes, perspective can be lost in the shuffle.
Because to be a unanimous MVP means you were the undisputed best player in the world in your respective league or sport. No questions asked. At least, that’s what a clean-sweep vote essentially dictates.
You were a cut above, and everyone else paled compared to your brilliance. (Never mind that all of these votes are inherently subjective.)
Despite a historic 2022-2023 NHL season, Connor McDavid wasn’t a unanimous MVP. It’s mind-boggling as to why. But McDavid certainly isn’t the first major sports star to lose out on this distinction that would probably only bother Hall of Famers. There’s a laundry list of athletes who put on an all-time show for an entire year, only for some people to say their excellence actually wasn’t the best.
Across four of the major American sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — here’s a look at a few stars who probably should’ve received unanimous MVP honors. Note: This list is not a ranking of egregiousness. It is in chronological order by year from top to bottom.