What does 'bye' in bye week stand for?

[jali]

I understand what ‘bye’ means in Football. Why is this particular word used? Is it an acronym or does it pertain to waving ‘bye-bye’ to these teams for the week.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

The OED has an entry for bye as “a run scored for a ball [in cricket] which passes the batsman, and which the wicket-keeper and long-stop fail to stop.” This dates back to 1746.

The next sense is the modern one, with it applied to an individual in 1883 and to teams in 1884.

My guess, therefore, is that the literal sense of a missed opportunity (to go by) extended to a metaphorical lack of one.

[ShibbOleth]

According to Etymology on-line:

in sporting use, a variant of by (prep). Originally in cricket, “a run scored on a ball that is missed by the wicket-keeper” (1746); hence, in other sports, “position of one who is left without a competitor when the rest have drawn pairs” (1883). Also, a shortened form of good-bye. Reduplication bye-bye is recorded from 1709, though as a sound used to lull a child to sleep it is attested from 1636.

[Jackknifed_Juggernaut]

Prior to the NFL using the term “bye” to represent a week in which a team isn’t scheduled to play, I always thought of a bye as a free pass. Like: “For having the best records in the AFC last last year, Indianapolis and Denver received ‘byes’ during the first week of the playoffs.” I thought that a bye was given as a reward based on some pre-defined criteria. But once the NFL began using it, I naturally assumed that I was mistaken.

I acknowledge that this doesn’t answer Jali’s question, but it seems like an appropriate time to bring it up.

[jali]

Thanks Dopers! This has been bugging me for quite some time.

[CurtC]

I didn’t realize that the NFL used the term “bye” (but I don’t watch much football). But the term is very common in tournaments. If you have the regular kind of tournament where two people or teams play each other, and the winner advances, and you have a number of entrants that’s not a power of 2, then some entrants will have byes in the first round. I assume that the NFL copied that usage.

[stuyguy]

@Jackknifed Juggernaut

Prior to the NFL using the term “bye” to represent a week in which a team isn’t scheduled to play, I always thought of a bye as a free pass. Like: “For having the best records in the AFC last last year, Indianapolis and Denver received ‘byes’ during the first week of the playoffs.” I thought that a bye was given as a reward based on some pre-defined criteria. But once the NFL began using it, I naturally assumed that I was mistaken.

I acknowledge that this doesn’t answer Jali’s question, but it seems like an appropriate time to bring it up.

No, I think you are right, and the common NFL practice of calling a rest week a “bye” week is wrong. I think someone got the message, however, because I’ve noticed a trend against using the term “bye” the past couple of years. My paper calls it an “open” week for the resting teams.

[Jackknifed_Juggernaut]

@stuyguy

No, I think you are right, and the common NFL practice of calling a rest week a “bye” week is wrong. I think someone got the message, however, because I’ve noticed a trend against using the term “bye” the past couple of years. My paper calls it an “open” week for the resting teams.

Just to clarify, a bye is not necessarily a reward as I originally stated. But implicit in its use is that there is some form of advancement without playing. A tennis player receiving a bye advances to the next round. This is obviously not the case in the NFL regular season, where teams simply just get a week off.