Replacement player

In professional sports, 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, serving as a strikebreaker.

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) went on strike in 1987, and the owners brought in replacement players to continue the season. After three weeks, many of the players on strike returned, weakening the union's position.

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 regular season games were played. Players who agreed to serve as replacement players were subsequently blacklisted by the MLBPA.

In 2005, the labor conflict between the United States Soccer Federation and its players led to U.S. national team players not reporting to camp in lieu of qualification for the 2006 World Cup. With almost every single Major League Soccer player, even those not in the U.S. player pool, refusing to participate, the camp was made up from players from the lower divisions of US Soccer, the United Soccer Leagues. The two sides came to an agreement before any matches were played.

Twenty of the 26 players on the Lingerie Football League's Toronto Triumph - including team captain Krista Ford - quit the team after its first game in 2011, citing numerous complaints, including injury concerns, incompetent coaching, and league management. The mass exodus left only starting quarterback Donna Paul and five other players still on the team. The Triumph added ten replacement players to their roster to finish out the season.

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