A replacement player is an athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a strike or lockout.
Instances of replacement players[]
Major League Baseball – 1995[]
- For more details on this topic, see List of Major League Baseball replacement players.
In 1994, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) went on strike. Spring training in 1995 started with replacement players, however the dispute was settled before the start of the regular season.[1] Players who agreed to serve as replacement players were subsequently blacklisted by the MLBPA, although the majority of them had not been eligible to join the union at the time they crossed picket lines, since they had not played in the major leagues.
Replacement officials[]
Though not technically players, professional officials have associations very similar to players associations.
Major League Baseball – 1999[]
In 1999, 22 Major League Baseball umpires resigned since their collective bargaining agreement did not allow them to strike. The 12 umpires who decided not to resign were joined by 25 replacements. The umpire's posturing was unsuccessful and led to a lengthy legal battle. In the end, some – but not all – of the umpires who resigned were re-hired, and a new union, the World Umpires Association, was created to represent the umpires.[2][3][4]
References[]
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