It’s one of the most coveted awards in all of sports: being named the most valuable player (MVP) in the NFL. And, this year, that honor went to Josh Allen, the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills.

While you might think this would be a cause of celebration, many people online don’t appear to feel this way. In response to Josh Allen being named the NFL MVP, social media has been aflame with differing opinions, outrage, and, of course, memes:

The naming of the NFL MVP is an intriguing case study about how the online world can undercut expert opinion and inflate how individuals view their own knowledge.

We’ll arrive at this argument in good time, but first, let’s dive a little deeper in the NFL MVP process.

What Is The NFL MVP Award? And Who Is Josh Allen?

Each year, an NFL player is given the MVP award. As the name suggests, this is best and most valuable player in the league.

This occurs at the NFL Honors event, in which an array of football professionals are awarded for their contributions. This includes categories such as Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and, of course, the Most Valuable Player.

When it comes to the NFL MVP award in 2025, this was chosen by 50 broadcasters and journalists, who vote on who they believe to be the best player in the league.

And, in this latest edition, it was given to the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen.

Allen is a 28 year old quarterback who played college football Wyoming Cowboys before moving to the Bills.

In the MVP voting process, he received 27 first-place picks, as well as 22 second-place selections and one third-place vote. This made his points tally 383.

His main competitor for the MVP race was the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. As he was named the starting quarterback for the All-Pro team, Jackson was expected to be named MVP.

And it was a close run thing, with Jackson receiving 23 first-place picks, on top of 26 second-place votes and one fourth-place selection. This came to a total of 362 points.

Many online haven’t taking this news lightly though, reacting with shock and surprise at Josh Allen’s MVP win.

How Has Social Media Reacted To Josh Allen Being Named The NFL’s MVP?

One of the most common reactions to Josh Allen receiving the NFL MVP award involves bringing up the fact he wasn’t selected in the All-Pro first team, an honor Jackson holds instead. This led to a variety of memes, such as the below example:

This idea of Josh Allen being an undeserving winner comes up repeatedly on social platforms:

While other accounts reversed this slightly, referencing shock and creating memes around Lamar Jackson’s shock loss:

This statistical comparison between Allen and Jackson is also something many are sharing online:

Of course, some accounts are still praising Josh Allen for his MVP award:

But the trend that’s most consistent across social media is one of shock, surprise, and anger.

Why Are People On Social Media Reacting Negatively To The NFL MVP Winner?

There are several things at play which can go some way to explaining the irritated way people online are reacting to Josh Allen being named MVP.

One explanation is that charged reactions are simply part of sports. Another is, simply, that lots of people believe that Lamar Jackson was a more worthy winner, something they often support with the statistics from his season.

There’s something deeper going on though, and it has to do with how social media can influence how knowledgeable people believe themselves to be.

Fundamentally, naming the NFL MVP is a voting process. The people choosing the player who receives this award are a mix of broadcasters and journalists, many of whom are ex-players or people who were involved at the top of the game.

In other words, they’re well-qualified to pass judgement on the MVP. They’re experts.

The issue is that social media can people feel as though they are too.

An interesting field of recent study has been exploring the relationship between media consumption and the illusion of knowledge. In a paper about climate change, researchers found that absorbing a lot of information about the topic through media made people feel more knowledgeable, even though they didn’t actually gain a deeper understanding of it.

We can extrapolate this to suggest that, just because someone watches a lot of sports, doesn’t necessarily mean they deeply understand them.

And yes, I am a sports fan and feel attacked by that statement too—but watching and studying a subject are two entirely different things.

There’s a range of science supporting this view of social media, such as this research finding that sharing online makes us overconfident in our own level of understanding.

Voting is, of course, a personal matter and one that’s open to criticism. But when people feel they know as much, if not more, than the experts selecting the NFL MVP, that can create a sense of unfairness.

To some people, Lamar Jackson was the clear winner, and Josh Allen being given the honor is plain wrong.

In this situation, it’s understandable why so many people would head to social media to proclaim this lack of justice.

Ultimately, choosing an NFL MVP is a matter of opinion, something decided by renowned figures in the game. But because social networks and media consumption can inflate people’s belief in their own knowledge, they’re less likely to simply accept this as a choice experts made, instead viewing it as unfair and incorrect, leading to the online outrage we’ve witnessed today.

Just remember: there’s no right or wrong NFL MVP. It’s just a matter of opinion.