professional sports In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought l ...

, a holdout (also written as hold out) occurs when a player fails to report to their team—usually before the start of a

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

—or fails to perform the services outlined in the terms of their contract. Players holdout for various reasons, however the desired outcome is usually to renegotiate their contract to more favorable terms. Players have also failed to report to a team after being drafted out of college, usually because they do not want to play for that team or want to play another sport. Although a player in this scenario has not signed a contract, they are usually considered a holdout because the team that drafted them secures exclusive rights to sign them to contract. A famous example of this was the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

drafting

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football. Jackson's el ...

with the first pick of the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

; Jackson did not report to the team because he wanted to pursue a career as a baseball player. The length of a holdout can range from just a few days to an entire season, or even indefinitely. Some players have utilized just the threat of a holdout to try to gain leverage in contract negotiations.

Notable examples

National Football League

* With the first overall pick in the

1986 NFL draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

, the

drafted

despite him telling the team he wanted to pursue a career as a baseball player. He never signed with the team.

National Basketball Association

* Following a loss in the 2021 NBA playoffs in Game 7 against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, Ben Simmons demanded a trade and held out from participating in training camp and the regular season. The 76ers fined Simmons for conduct detrimental to the team, reportedly in excess of $19 million. After eight months, the 76ers traded Simmons along with players and picks to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

for

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA ...

and

Paul Millsap Paul Millsap (born February 10, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by t ...

National Hockey League

* Alexei Yashin sat out the 1999–2000 NHL season due to a contract dispute in the final year of his five year deal. He returned for the following season as a result of an arbitration case which determined that Yashin owed an additional year on his contract before he could become a free agent.

References

{{sports-stub Terminology used in multiple sports

Notable examples

National Football League

National Basketball Association

National Hockey League

See also

References