Rams receiver Cooper Kupp won the Super Bowl LVI MVP award. It’s hard to argue that he didn’t deserve it. However, it’s fair to wonder whether Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald deserved it more.

This post isn’t about debating Kupp vs. Donald or Donald vs. Kupp. It’s about a voting process that needs to be overhauled, dramatically.

The NFL currently hand-picks 16 media members to vote on the Super Bowl MVP awards, with each voter casting a single all-or-nothing ballot. Fan voting through NFL.com ultimately counts as four additional votes, with first place counting as 2.5 votes, second-place counting as one vote, and third-place getting 0.5 votes. The fans therefore consist of 20 percent of the total voting, more than enough to decide the outcome in a close contest.

The league won’t disclose the names of the 16 media voters. That’s the first spot where change needs to come. There’s no reason for no transparency. And if someone in the media doesn’t want to have his or her vote scrutinized publicly, he or she should decline to vote.

Another problem arises from the relatively small number of voters. There are far more than 16 media members qualified to cast a ballot. The more the votes, the less likely a bad outcome will happen.