Disaster draft
A disaster draft or contingency draft is a
Background
Since the advent of modern mass transportation, there have been accidents that killed all or nearly all members of various sports teams. The
Other incidents since then have involved the
As a result of these accidents, some professional sports leagues have developed
Special procedures
An affected team is expected to replace players using the
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball's disaster plan is covered in Rule 19 of The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book.[2] The plan is triggered by an event causing the death, dismemberment, or permanent disability of at least five players from a team's active, injured, or suspended roster during a season (including the playoffs), or at least six players during the off-season. Major League Baseball's commissioner will decide if the disabled club can continue play, in consultation with the MLB Players' Association and the club.
If the commissioner decides that the disabled club will continue to play, the commissioner may hold a Restocking Draft to allow the disabled club to select as many players as it lost, with the restriction that no more than one player can be selected from each team. Each of the non-disabled teams makes five players available for the draft taken from its active list (or if during the off-season, from its reserve list), composed of one pitcher, one catcher, one outfielder, one infielder, and one more player of any position, subject to adjustments by the commissioner based on the players lost by the disabled club. If a team has fewer than three eligible catchers, it does not have to provide a catcher to the draft. The non-disabled teams also are required to make available as many players with 60 or more days of Major League service time as of 31 August of the season preceding such draft as the number of such players lost by the disabled team.[2]: Section 19(b)(3)(A)(iii) Any player with no-trade rights with regards to the disabled team may not be made available unless the player waives the right.
If the commissioner decides that the disabled club cannot continue play, the commissioner will cancel the disabled club's season. The commissioner and Players' Association can also agree upon other appropriate relief for a disabled club. Major League Baseball's first expansion drafts of the early 1960s were based largely on the procedures first set out for the disaster draft.[citation needed]
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) contingency plan activates if five or more players on a team "die or are dismembered".[1][3] A special "disaster draft" would be held in which other NBA teams could only protect five players,[3][4] so that quality sixth men would be available. No more than one player would be drafted from a team.[1]
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL)'s contingency plan provides for both a "near-disaster" and a "disaster".[1][3] A "near-disaster" is defined as fewer than 15 players on a team being disabled, and a "disaster" is 15 or more.[3][4]
No special draft would be held for a "near-disaster"; the team would instead get preferential rights on any
For a "disaster", the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL) contingency plan activates if five or more players[3][4] on a team "are killed or disabled".[1] The team would select players from other NHL teams, paying with funds from a special insurance fund. Once its roster has one goaltender and 14 other players, a special draft involving the teams unaffected by the earlier selection could be held, with each team able to protect one goaltender and 10 other players.[3][4]
Major League Soccer
Within its roster regulations, Major League Soccer has what it refers to as an "extreme hardship" provision, which can be used if "a team has less than 15 available players". However, this is a mechanism intended to be used on a "game-by-game basis", and any contingency plans that may exist for a disaster draft scenario are not public.[6]
Kontinental Hockey League
The
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Eskenazi, Gerald. "The Plans No One Wants to Use." The New York Times, 22 May 1992.
- ^ a b The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book (PDF). New York City: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2021 – via mlbpa.org.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Drehs, Wayne. "'God forbid it should ever be needed'." ESPN.com, 10 April 2001.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mizell, Hubert (23 September 2001). "Several pro teams have airline disaster plans in place". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d O'Keeffee, Michael. "JUST PLANE SCARY Oklahoma State crash causes high anxiety Archived 6 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine." New York Daily News, 4 February 2001.
- ^ "2011 MLS Roster Rules | Major League Soccer". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ National Post, "KHL delays games, but season will go on for Lokomotiv" Archived 5 June 2012 at archive.today, Peter Leonard, 8 September 2011