Franchise player

In professional sports, a franchise player is an athlete who is both the best player on their team and one that the team can build their "franchise" around for the foreseeable future.

Overview

In the United States, outstanding players were referred to as "franchises" at least as far back as the 1950s. By the 1970s, the concept of a "franchise" player who single-handedly generates success was commonly understood in the sporting trade. The term franchise player was in widespread use by the early 1980s to describe both star rookies like John Elway and Kelvin Bryant and veterans like George Brett. While the term is primarily associated with North American sports, it is sometimes used in reference to athletes in sports outside the United States, such as rugby league.

Untouchable

In other sports, such as association football and esports, the similar term "untouchable" is sometimes used to describe players who are considered unavailable for transfer or trade, either because their organization is unwilling to part with them or because the players themselves reject offers to leave. Examples include Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, and Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker) at T1, the latter of whom famously rejected a blank check offer to play for a North American team.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "franchise, n. I. 2. c. (b)" OED Online. June 2003. Oxford University Press. June 2010.
  2. ↑ Denlinger, Ken (November 30, 1977). "King Albert No Franchise but a National Jewel: This Morning". The Washington Post. p. D1.
  3. ↑ Denlinger, Ken (March 6, 1978). "Team Without a 'Franchise' Player Just Keeps Winning". The Washington Post. p. D5.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Dave (18 April 1982). "John Elway Leaning Toward Football". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Wallace, William N. (11 July 1983). "Stars show their 1, 2 punch". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "Brett makes demands". The Globe and Mail. 4 November 1982.
  7. ↑ "franchise". Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Hadfield, Dave (2 March 2000). "Robbie seizing Bulls by the horns". The Independent – via HighBeam Research. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |url-access= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Ridley, Ian (14 December 2003). "There's more to life than Europe". The Observer. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  10. ↑ Madrid Universal (2026-08-06). "Jose Mourinho has six untouchable starters at Real Madrid as hierarchy begins to emerge – report". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-09-01.
  11. ↑ Webb, Kevin. "Why esports' biggest star turned down a $10 million salary to become part-owner of his own team". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-09-01.