Wikipedia:Notability (sports)

This article is regarded as a guideline used to determine whether or not a sportsperson, sports league, or an amateur/professional sports league organization merits an article at Wikipedia.

In general, the text of an article should include enough information to explain why the person, league, or organization is notable. A subject is presumed to be sufficiently notable if it meets the general notability guideline below, or if it meets an accepted subject specific standard listed in the table to the right. These guidelines pertain to the suitability of article topics but do not directly limit the content of articles.

At a minimum, all articles must have been discussed in independent, non-trivial, reliable sources - not including sources independent of statistical analysis websites or guides. In short, they should be able to meet the criteria laid out at Wikipedia:Reliable sources and Wikipedia:Verifiability#Sources.

Please note that the failure to meet these criteria does not mean an article must be deleted; conversely, the meeting of any of these criteria does not mean that an article must be kept. These are merely rules of thumb which some editors choose to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to keep an article that is on articles for deletion and relevant guidelines such as WP:V and WP:RS.

Please keep in mind that the article in question must actually document that the criterion is true. It is not enough to make vague claims in the article or rant about person's importance on a talk page or AFD page -- the article itself must document notability.

Applicable policies and guidelines

WP:V, WP:BLP, WP:BIO

Notabilty guidelines on sportspersons

Generally acceptable standards

Sports figures are considered notable if they:

• (Unless noted within a specific section) Have participated in a major international amateur or professional competition such as the Olympics or Pan-American Games.

Professional sports people

American football/Canadian football

American football/Canadian football figures are considered notable if they

• Are on the active roster in any major professional league, e.g. the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League, the National Football League, the All-America Football Conference, or the United States Football League.
• Note: Players who play in minor or semi-professional leagues (such as af2) are not considered notable unless they meet another criterion, such as notability arising from their college football days.

Baseball

Baseball figures are considered notable if they

• Are a member of a major Hall of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum or the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Have appeared in at least one game in any one of the following active major leagues: Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, Korea Baseball Organization, Chinese Professional Baseball League or any other top-level foreign league.
• Have appeared in at least one game in any of the following defunct leagues: All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, American Association, Cuban League, Federal League, Japanese Baseball League, National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, Negro Major Leagues, Players League, Union Association.
• Have served as a commissioner, president, general manager, owner, coach, or manager in one of the above-mentioned leagues.
• Have played in at least a whole season in AAA baseball, played in the All-Star Futures Game, won a notable Minor League Baseball award, or been selected for any minor league baseball All-star game in the affiliated minor leagues.
• Have served as a Major League Baseball umpire on a regular league staff and have worked in at least one postseason or All-Star Game; umpires of the 19th century must have worked in at least 200 games. Minor league umpires are considered notable only if they have been elected to a league hall of fame or earned a similarly extraordinary honor, or if they have accomplished some historic achievement.

Basketball

Basketball figures are considered notable if they

• Have appeared in one game in the American Basketball Association, Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto, Euroleague, National Basketball Association, National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (United States), Serie A, Women's National Basketball Association, or a similar major professional sports league.
• Anyone who was selected in the first two rounds of the NBA Draft.
• Have won an award, or led the league in a major statistical category of the Continental Basketball Association or NBA Development League.

Cricket

Cricket figures are considered notable if they

Wikipedia:WikiProject Cricket participants have adopted the following guidelines for notability of a cricket person for an article in Wikipedia:

1. has appeared in at least one Test, ODI, ICC Trophy match from 2005, or ICC Trophy final prior to 2005 as player, umpire, coach or administrator
2. has appeared in at least one major (i.e., first-class or List A) match as a player

The term "first-class cricket" can be misleading since, officially, it did not begin until 1947 and should not be applied retrospectively according to the MCC definition. Whereas in practice the term is loosely applied to major matches since the 17th century, it is better to think of major cricket as an all-embracing term that includes ListA as well as first-class. Hence, a player who represented Kent in the county match in 1709 is equally notable with a player who represented Kent CCC in the Twenty20 Cup in 2007.

In addition, non-players who have made a notable contribution to cricket should have pages. These include benefactors, administrators, umpires, coaches, writers, broadcasters, historians and so on. With these, it is important to ensure that the article's content outlines the person's notability in terms of his or her contribution to the sport. There is bound to be a more subjective view of such contributions whereas an appearance in a first-class match enables a purely objective view to be taken. Note especially that the person must have earned notability in their own right; they are not notable if they are a member of a club.

Figure skating

Figure skaters competing at the highest level of international competition are by definition not "professional" skaters, they are "eligible" skaters, because they are eligible to compete in the Olympics. Eligible skaters earn money only from ISU-approved and sanctioned events and competitions. Ineligible skaters have no such restrictions and so are considered to be "professionals".

Figure skating figures are considered notable if they

This is modified from Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Figure Skating#Notability for figure skaters. Notability for competitive figure skaters, in descending order of notability:

1. Competed at an ISU Championship: World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure Skating Championships, European Figure Skating Championships, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
2. Medalled on the senior level at the skater's national championships.
3. Competed at a Grand Prix of Figure Skating event (Skate America, Skate Canada International, Trophee Eric Bompard, Cup of China, Cup of Russia, NHK Trophy, Bofrost Cup on Ice)
4. Medalled at a non-Grand Prix international senior-level event (commonly referred to as "senior B" competitions, as opposed to "A" competitions, which are the Grand Prixs and ISU championships. See figure skating competitions for more information and List of figure skating competitions for a list of events. Notable examples of senior Bs are the Nebelhorn Trophy, one of the oldest senior international events, and the Karl Schäfer Memorial and the Golden Spin of Zagreb, which have both been used many times as the Olympic qualifying competition.)
5. Medalled on the ISU Junior Grand Prix
6. Competed internationally on the junior or senior levels.

Skaters who are not inherently notable, but may be notable for other reasons (this simply cannot be the only claim of notability):

1. Competed at a domestic competition that is not that country's national championships (for example, qualifying competitions for the national championships, such as Eastern Sectionals in the United States and Central Ontario Sectionals in Canada).
2. Skaters who compete at a level lower than Junior (ex: Novice (all countries), pre-Novice (in Canada), and Juvenile in the U.S.).

Notability for people assosciated with skating who were not notable as eligible skaters:

1. A coach who has coached notable skaters, but were not themselves notable as skaters. (ex: Pam Gregory)
2. A choreographer who has worked with many notable skaters, but were not themselves notable as skaters. (ex: David Wilson)
3. Judges who have been involved in judging scandals.
4. Professional skaters who have competed professionally, or have made appearances on televised skating shows.
5. Heads of national and international federations.
6. Individuals recognized for their contributions to skating by membership in the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, or a national figure skating hall of fame, such as the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
7. Other individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of figure skating as sport or entertainment, other than as competitors, whose accomplishments are verifiable by multiple reliable sources. (ex: Tom Collins, founder of Champions on Ice)

Football (soccer)

Football figures are considered notable if they

See Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Football/Notability

• Players, Managers and Referees who have represented their country in any officially sanctioned international competition (including the Olympics) are notable as they have achieved the status of participating at the highest level of football. The notability of these is accepted as they would have received significant coverage as outlined above in the general notability criteria.
• Players, Managers and Referees who have participated in their country's fully professional domestic leagues are notable. Notabilty must still be shown though. A fully professional league is defined as being constituted completely of teams composed of players that are paid to play for the team and have no other wage-paying job (i.e. not part-time and not amateur).
• Players, Managers and Referees who have not participated in a fully professional domestic league are not notable, however notability can still be shown as per the general notability criteria. The article might not be deleted if proof of notability has been provided.
• A player who signs for a domestic team but has not played in any games is not deemed to have participated in a competition therefore they aren't notable.
• Youth Players are not notable unless they satisfy one of the statements above.

Golf

Golf figures are considered notable if they

• They have competed in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Solheim Cup or similar international competition
• They are enshrined in one of golf's recognized Halls of Fame
• They have won at least one professional golf tournament (ex: PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Champions Tour)
• They have won at least one recognized amateur golf tournament (ex: US Amateur, British Amateur)
• They have competed in one of the major tournaments:
  • Men (under 50): US Open, British Open, The Masters, PGA Championship
  • Women: Current majors — US Women's Open, Women's British Open, Kraft Nabisco Championship, LPGA Championship; or past majors — du Maurier Classic, Western Open, Titleholders Championship
  • Senior men: Senior PGA, US Senior Open, Senior Players Championship, Senior British Open, The Tradition (note, however, that almost all of the players who would qualify by this criterion would also qualify by virtue of having appeared in one of the under-50 majors)
• They have competed as a professional on the PGA, LPGA, European, or Champions Tour for at least one full year
• They hold a golf record (ex: lowest score) recognized by the USGA, PGA, LPGA or St Andrews

Ice hockey

Ice hockey figures are considered notable if they

• Played one or more games in the National Hockey League, the Elitserien, the SM-liiga, the Russian Super League or other such top national professional league.
• Played one or more games in a defunct league generally considered to have been a "major" professional league, such as the World Hockey Association, the National Hockey Association, the Czechoslovak Extraliga, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and suchlike.
• Played one or more games in an amateur league considered, through lack of a professional league, the highest level of competition extant, such as the 19th century Amateur Hockey Association or the Soviet League.
• Played five or more seasons, and at least 100 games, in a fully professional minor league such as the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League, the ECHL, the Mestis, the HockeyAllsvenskan or other such league.
• Achieved preeminent honors (all-time top ten career scorer, league or playoff MVP, first team all-star, All-American) in a lower minor league such as the Central Hockey League or the United Hockey League, in a major junior league such as the Ontario Hockey Association or the Western Hockey League or in a major collegiate hockey league.
• Played on a national Olympic team.
• Are Honoured Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Motorsports

Motorsport figures are considered notable if they

Rugby

Rugby league

A player of rugby league would be deemed notable if they have:

1. Have played first grade rugby league (depending on country).
2. Have played in a first grade team consistently.
3. Have had a good rugby league career in second grade (depending on country).
4. Have played in more than one year of rugby league.

Other personalities surrounding the game are notable if they:

1. Are a consistent first grade rugby league commentator.
2. A referee that has refereed at least 100 games.
3. A notable newspaper/other media journalist.

Rugby union

From the WikiProject Rugby union main page: WikiProject Rugby union participants have adopted the following guidelines for notability of a rugby union person for an article in Wikipedia:

• has appeared in at least one test match, sevens competition or domestic rugby competition, as player, umpire, coach or administrator
• has appeared in at least one first class rugby union match

Please note that the failure to meet these criteria does not mean an article must be deleted; conversely, the meeting of any of these criteria does not mean that an article must be kept. These are merely rules of thumb which some editors choose to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to keep an article that is on articles for deletion. In particular, players from the early days of rugby cannot meet these criteria as they pre-date the era of first-class rugby.

Tennis

Tennis figures are considered notable if they

Amateur sports people

College athletes

• College athletes and coaches are notable if they have been the subject of non-trivial media coverage beyond merely a repeating of their statistics. Examples would include head coaches, well-known assistant coaches, or players who:
  • Have won a national award, or established a major NCAA record.
  • Were inducted into the hall of fame in their sport (for example, the College Football Hall of Fame).
  • Gained national media attention as an individual, not just as a player for a notable team.

Individual seasons

Articles can be created on indiviual seasons of the top leagues as they are notable.

But if the season article consists of mainly stats, Wikipedia is not a stats directory, and there are other sites on the web, baseball-reference for example that has the same kind of info. It is strongly recommended that those articles are redirected to the team page until sourced prose is created.

Seasons of college sports teams aren't notable unless:

• For football, any Division I FBS school is considered notable. A high-profile team in Division I FCS, such as Appalachian State, may also be notable. If the article on the individual season college football season is short, consider grouping several seasons by a logical criteria - such as the tenure of one head coach.
• For basketball, any Division I men's team in a generally recognized "major" basketball conference (the BCS conferences, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, A-10) is automatically notable. Gonzaga and Memphis, as established "major" programs within the "mid-major" conferences, are also automatically notable. Other men's teams are considered on a case-by-case basis. Women's teams are not automatically notable except for well-established national powers, including but not limited to Tennessee and UConn.

Individual games

Some games are inherently notable such as championship games or major college bowl games. Additionally, a game in which a major record was set, that was considered one of the greatest games or biggest upsets ever, or that received front page coverage in the national media (e.g. Pacers-Pistons brawl) is also considered notable.

Articles about notable games should have well-sourced prose, not merely a list of stats.

Rivalries

Some articles on sports rivalries exists here, like Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Whole books have been written on the subject though. An article on a rivalry must tell why the rivalry is important with multiple non trivial, reliable sources. One game does not consists of a rivalry, same with a few incidents like fights and such.