What’s an MOP?
A mop, right?
It is also an anachronism for Most Outstanding Player in the parlance of the Canadian Football League.
Imagine that, the best player in the league is called a mop.
There is this age-old argument that most outstanding player and most valuable player are not the same thing. Most Outstanding Player is supposed to mean the best overall player in the league, while Most Valuable Player is generally regarded as the most valuable player to his team.
Personally I think the two are the same thing, but for argument’s sake let’s say they are for different.
Why not create separate awards for the most outstanding player and the most valuable player, similar to what exists in the National Hockey League? Moreover, why not attach a significant name in historical terms to each trophy?
For instance, the MVP award is called the Lester B. Pearson, named in honour of the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963-68 and a former player and coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues’ hockey team.
The most outstanding player is awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy, named after Dr. David Hart, who donated the trophy. Hart’s son Cecil once coached and managed the Montreal Canadiens.
The Hart is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
The Pearson Trophy is voted on by the NHL Players’ Association.
The two trophies are companions of one another.
So here’s my idea: award two trophies and pick two people relevant to the history of the CFL and put their names in front of each award. There’s already a ton of awards given out each year in the CFL in recognition of players in each division and one for Coach of the Year, the Annis Stukus Trophy.
Let the members of the Football Reporters of Canada vote on the Most Outstanding Player and the CFL Players’ Association vote on the Most Valuable Player.
It will make for interesting debates and dialogues on both trophies, include the players, who after all, should know who is the most valuable player, and honour a couple of CFL greats. For example, create the Ron Lancaster Memorial Trophy for Most Outstanding Player and the Russ Jackson Trophy for the Most Valuable Player.
But please make some kind of change. Invariably the MOP is called the MVP by many people anyway, and calling the single individual who’s adjudged for his excellence in a single season a MOP is just another example of "only in the CFL."