The KeynoteUSA, after years of providing no guidance on what “Comeback Player of the Year” means, has finally given voters something more than “comeback.”
“The spirit of the KeynoteUSA Comeback Player of the Year Award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that caused him to miss playing time the previous season,” the KeynoteUSA said. voters on Tuesday.
In other words, “Back from sucking” no longer exists. Likewise, “Return from Substitution” apparently does not qualify the player for the award. (That said, being benched would likely count as “other circumstances that led to him missing playing time last season.”)
Since the change was sparked by Geno Smith winning the award in 2022 and no doubt exacerbated by Damar Hamlin not winning it in 2023, the “Returning from being a backup” subcategory is presumably dead.
If that’s the case (as it appears to be), anyone who spent any money on, say, 12-1(ish) Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson might be a little miffed at this moment.
Of course, perhaps the KeynoteUSA will allow Wilson to be considered, since he possibly had “other circumstances” (contractual complications) that resulted in him being benched. Still, even if he had finished the season as a starter, he wouldn’t have been a long shot for the award, before the change in standards.
Another player people might have been placing bets on is Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (maybe “other circumstances” applies). Or how about Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold at 30-1?
He didn’t play last year, but he wasn’t injured or sick. He was simply No. 2 behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco. So if in Minnesota, Darnold wins the starting job and has a career year under coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings go to the playoffs, is Darnold eligible? Apparently not.
That’s the risk of placing sports bets that are the result of a vote. Beyond the inherently subjective nature of the process, the standard may change after the bet is placed.
It will be interesting to see if any of the sportsbooks will offer to refund bets placed on players who did not miss time in 2023 due to illness or injury, and who would simply return from having sucked and/or not being in the starting lineup. It will also be interesting to see if certain players are eliminated from the board.
The objective of this change was undoubtedly to solve a very specific problem. Like many similar well-intentioned efforts, it could have several unintended consequences.
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