reserve clause

American  

noun

Sports.

1. the clause in the contract of a professional player in some sports that binds the player to a team for a season beyond the expiration of the contract in the event a new contract has not been made meanwhile or the player has not been sent to another team.

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Etymology

Origin of reserve clause

First recorded in 1940–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reserve clause

The 1975 case involved Dodgers pitcher Andy Messersmith and prompted arbitrator Peter Seitz to strike down the reserve clause, the restrictive contract language that had kept players under perpetual team control for nearly 100 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024

Moss pointed to Hunter’s Yankees contract as proof that in an open market players would make far more than they did with the reserve clause in effect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024

When Curt Flood first challenged the reserve clause, owners fought for it all the way to the Supreme Court — and won.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2022

But at the time, the Major Leagues’ reserve clause essentially kept players under a franchise’s control in perpetuity.

From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2021

The reserve clause in contracts was the direct cause of that struggle.

From The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 5 July 1906 by Various

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