The first

Athlete of the Year Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition. Definition of "athlete" *In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participat ...

award in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

was initiated by the

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(AP) in 1931. At a time when

women in sports The participation of women and girls in sports, physical Physical fitness, fitness and exercise, has been recorded to have existed throughout history. However, participation rates and activities vary in accordance with nation, era, geography, ...

were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award to either a professional or amateur

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

. The awards are voted on annually by a panel of AP sports editors from across the United States, covering mainly American sports. As a result, a large majority of the winners have been Americans. However, non-Americans are also eligible for the honor and have won on a few occasions.

AP Athlete of the Year

Multiple Awards

AP Athlete of the Decade

Footnotes

Notes

* ''Adapted from the articl
Associated Press Athlete of the Year
from

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, licensed under the

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.'' {{National Sportsperson of the Year 1931 establishments in the United States American sports trophies and awards Awards established in 1931 Most valuable player awards

United S United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Sports trophies and awards Associated Press awards