Baseball Writers' Association of America

The Baseball Writers' Association of America (originally the Base Ball Writers Association of America) (BBWAA) was founded in 1908 by several sportswriters in response to mistreatment by major league owners. The union demanded certain rights, such as press boxes and access to the clubhouse.

Members of the BBWAA are selected to vote for league Most Valuable Player, Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year Awards. Ten-year members of the BBWAA are also eligible to vote for the Hall of Fame.

BBWAA members must work for a print newspaper either as a beat writer, baseball columnist, feature writers, or editors. If a writer leaves newspapers for magazines or an Internet column, he can retain his membership in the BBWAA. In recent years, to reflect the changes in the media industry in North America, the BBWAA began to accept some members whose writing career was entirely in electronic media.

The BBWAA also votes to determine the winner of the annual BBWAA Career Excellence Award, given out by the Hall of Fame. While winners are usually members of the Association, membership is not a requirement to receive the award.

Source: APSE Explanation of the BBWAA