Contract year phenomenon is a term used in North American sports to describe the occurrence when athletes perform at a very high level in the season prior to their free agency eligibility. Most often, these athletes have seasons that are statistically better than previous years, but then once they sign their new contract, they return to their previous level of performance.
An archetype example of this phenomenon was NBA player Eric Dampier. In the year prior to his 'contract year' with the Golden State Warriors, Dampier averaged 8.2ppg and 6.6rpg in 82 games (all starts). The following (contract) year, Dampier upped these numbers to 12.3ppg and 12.0rpg (4th in the league) - both career highs - in 74 games (all starts), and was awarded a lengthy and lucrative contract. The following year with the Dallas Mavericks, Dampier's production dipped to 9.2ppg and 8.5rpg in 59 games (56 starts), albeit in an injury-interrupted season.
The contract year phenomenon is most associated with the NBA due to the league's high salaries and lengthy guaranteed contracts. This occurrence is sometimes seen in MLB, but it is almost never found in the NFL due to the league's relatively low salaries and most importantly, the lack of guaranteed contracts. NFL players who sign contracts with new teams and then don't perform can simply be released from their team, as the team is then only held responsible for the bonuses in the contract.
Famous quotes containing the words contract, year and/or phenomenon:
“Smoking ... is downright dangerous. Most people who smoke will eventually contract a fatal disease and die. But they don’t brag about it, do they? Most people who ski, play professional football or drive race cars, will not die—at least not in the act—and yet they are the ones with the glamorous images, the expensive equipment and the mythic proportions. Why this should be I cannot say, unless it is simply that the average American does not know a daredevil when he sees one.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
“We are finding out that what looked like a neglected house a year ago is in fact a ruin.”
—Václav Havel (b. 1936)
“If you could choose your parents,... we would rather have a mother who felt a sense of guilt—at any rate who felt responsible, and felt that if things went wrong it was probably her fault—we’d rather have that than a mother who immediately turned to an outside thing to explain everything, and said it was due to the thunderstorm last night or some quite outside phenomenon and didn’t take responsibility for anything.”
—D.W. Winnicott (20th century)