Spring has arrived, marking one of the busiest times in professional sports. Like many fans across the country, I watched with excitement as Major League Baseball opened its 2022 season on April 7.
The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League both end their regular seasons in late April and early May.
While football fans have to wait until the fall for their teams to retake the field, many pro football obsessives eagerly anticipate the next generation of players entering the league with April’s National Football League draft.
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US Sports Draws International Talent
This exciting time for fans of the “Big Four” sports in the US is increasingly becoming a worldwide phenomenon as the leagues attract more top-end international talent.
Reigning American League MVP and Japan native Shohei Ohtani has revolutionized the MLB as one of the first players in generations to achieve success simultaneously as a pitcher, hitter, and fielder. And many of baseball’s other top stars, including recent MVPs like Jose Abreu and Jose Altuve, hail from Latin America.
The last three NBA MVP awards have gone to international players. Two awards are for Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and one for Serbia’s Nikola Jokic. And a fourth looks likely, with Antetokounmpo, Jokic, and Cameroon’s Joel Embiid being the frontrunners for this year’s award.
The NHL has long drawn a large portion of its player pool from Canada and Europe in addition to the US. And even the NFL — which has only around 3% international players — has been attempting to inspire more global interest by playing regular-season games in the UK, Mexico, and Germany.
Despite recent growth of the Big Four sports’ international talent pool, international players still represent a small share of MVP award winners historically. The US has produced 70% of all MVP award recipients, while Canada is responsible for 20.6% of winners, and all other countries combined have produced 9.4%.
Only 15 countries outside of Canada and the US have ever produced MVPs.
States Creating the Most MVPs
For now, the US remains the leading producer of top-end talent in its major sports leagues. But there is geographical variation with some states are far ahead of the pack.
In particular, California has been a hotbed for MVPs, with 47 all-time winners, nearly half of which (21) have been awarded since the year 2000. California’s recent dominance in MVPs has been fueled by all-time greats like the MLB’s Barry Bonds (7 total MVP awards) and the NFL’s Aaron Rodgers (4) and Tom Brady (3).
In fact, California alone has produced more than 10% of all Big Four MVP winners in history. California and many of the other leading states are among the US leaders in population, which increases the number of top athletes who may emerge from those states.
But one state stands out for punching above its weight: Louisiana. Despite being in the middle of the pack for US population, the Bayou State has produced 19 MVP awards from nine unique winners. These include 10 NBA MVPs, second only to New York’s 13, and eight NFL MVPs, behind only California’s 12.
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Researchers ranked US states and territories according to the total number of MVP awards won by Big Four athletes born in each location.
All NFL MVP awards issued since the NFL/AFL merger agreement in 1966–67 were included; all NBA MVP and NHL Hart Memorial Trophy winners were included; and all of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Most Valuable Player award winners in MLB’s AL and NL were included.
In the event of a tie, the location with the greater number of unique MVP award winners was ranked higher, and recency was also factored in.
The US States That Have Born the Most MVPs
Here are the states that have born the most MVPs.
20. South Carolina
- Total MVP awards: 4
- Different MVP award winners: 4
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 1
- Total MLB MVPs: 3
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2003
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19. Indiana
- Total MVP awards: 5
- Different MVP award winners: 3
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 3
- Total MLB MVPs: 2
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1985
18. Mississippi
- Total MVP awards: 5
- Different MVP award winners: 3
- Total NFL MVPs: 4
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 1
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2003
17. Oklahoma
- Total MVP awards: 6
- Different MVP award winners: 3
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 6
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1979
16. Maryland
- Total MVP awards: 6
- Different MVP award winners: 3
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 6
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1991
15. Puerto Rico
- Total MVP awards: 6
- Different MVP award winners: 5
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 6
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1999
14. Georgia
- Total MVP awards: 6
- Different MVP award winners: 5
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 5
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2015
13. Virginia
- Total MVP awards: 7
- Different MVP award winners: 5
- Total NFL MVPs: 2
- Total NBA MVPs: 4
- Total MLB MVPs: 1
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2011
12. New Jersey
- Total MVP awards: 7
- Different MVP award winners: 5
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 1
- Total MLB MVPs: 5
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2019
11. Alabama
- Total MVP awards: 7
- Different MVP award winners: 6
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 1
- Total MLB MVPs: 5
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1992
10. Michigan
- Total MVP awards: 8
- Different MVP award winners: 5
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 3
- Total MLB MVPs: 4
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 1989
9. Missouri
- Total MVP awards: 9
- Different MVP award winners: 6
- Total NFL MVPs: 0
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 9
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2006
8. Florida
- Total MVP awards: 9
- Different MVP award winners: 9
- Total NFL MVPs: 2
- Total NBA MVPs: 1
- Total MLB MVPs: 6
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2019
7. Illinois
- Total MVP awards: 10
- Different MVP award winners: 9
- Total NFL MVPs: 2
- Total NBA MVPs: 1
- Total MLB MVPs: 7
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2010
6. Texas
- Total MVP awards: 14
- Different MVP award winners: 11
- Total NFL MVPs: 6
- Total NBA MVPs: 0
- Total MLB MVPs: 8
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2018
5. Ohio
- Total MVP awards: 15
- Different MVP award winners: 9
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 6
- Total MLB MVPs: 8
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2015
4. Louisiana
- Total MVP awards: 19
- Different MVP award winners: 9
- Total NFL MVPs: 8
- Total NBA MVPs: 10
- Total MLB MVPs: 1
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2013
3. Pennsylvania
- Total MVP awards: 26
- Different MVP award winners: 18
- Total NFL MVPs: 7
- Total NBA MVPs: 5
- Total MLB MVPs: 14
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2016
2. New York
- Total MVP awards: 29
- Different MVP award winners: 17
- Total NFL MVPs: 1
- Total NBA MVPs: 13
- Total MLB MVPs: 13
- Total NHL MVPs: 2
- Most recent award: 2015
1. California
- Total MVP awards: 47
- Different MVP award winners: 33
- Total NFL MVPs: 12
- Total NBA MVPs: 3
- Total MLB MVPs: 32
- Total NHL MVPs: 0
- Most recent award: 2021
Detailed Findings & Methodology
Researchers ranked US states and territories according to the total number of MVP awards won by “Big Four” athletes born in each location.
All NFL MVP awards issued since the NFL/AFL merger agreement in 1966–67 were included; all NBA MVP and NHL Hart Memorial Trophy winners were included; and all of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Most Valuable Player award winners in MLB’s AL and NL were included.
In the event of a tie, the location with the greater number of unique MVP award winners was ranked higher. Further ties were broken by the location to receive the most recent MVP award.
The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, and hockey-reference.com.
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My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.
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