# Why do leagues allow 1 day contracts? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 2, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918 "2011-09-02T03:15:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sweet\_chemist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@sweet\_chemist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweet_chemist)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918/21 "2011-09-14T13:18:16Z")
A question springs to mind. If Taylor suddenly decided to be a massive dick, could he refuse to quit then start collecting the money? Is there anything built into the contract, or is it based on a honour system? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918/22 "2011-09-14T14:20:28Z")
Pro football contracts are not guaranteed. The team could just cut him and he’d be owed no money. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918/23 "2011-09-14T23:34:16Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Typically they’re guys from college teams or other forms of amateur, rather than the minors, in which case I think they have to clear some sort of waivers. I remember reading something to that effect when the Phoenix Coyotes signed Tom Fenton last December for a single game. They were going to suit up their goalie coach, but because he played in the AHL before, he had to go through a waiver process, and in addition to being cumbersome, there’s a chance another team would pick him up for a day! Though I do relish the days when hockey coaches could go into a local bar and snag a guy who would really stand on his head through the game. 😃 If you really want to relish the “good old days” go back to when, if a team didn’t have a goalie (say both were injured in the same game) the other team had to provide their back-up goalie. Maybe the rule is still on the books. I’d love to see it happen. Goalies are just crazy enough that if they were playing against their own team they would stand on their head and use heavy munitions to prevent a goal. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Pro football contracts are not guaranteed. The team could just cut him and he’d be owed no money. You are right that the contracts are not guaranteed. However, I think there is a clause that if the player is on the roster for the first game the season the contract is honored. The team can’t put a guy on the roster for one or two games, decide he sucks or is injured and cut him. So, most certainly, in the case of the OP the team is not taking any risk and the player will never appear on the roster. I suppose that is a nitpick but the “no guarantee” doesn’t give the team carte blanche to screw over a player. The players get screwed over enough as it is. ---
**Author:** ![sweet\_chemist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@sweet\_chemist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweet_chemist)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918/24 "2011-09-15T08:46:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Pro football contracts are not guaranteed. The team could just cut him and he’d be owed no money. Interesting, thanks for answering that. It seems like a very touching way to end your career. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-leagues-allow-1-day-contracts/594918.md?page=1)