In professional sports, a franchise player is an athlete who is both the best player on their team and one that the team can build their "franchising" around for the foreseeable future.
Overview
In the United States, outstanding players were referred to as "franchises" at least as far back as the 1950s.
["franchise, n. I. 2. c. (b)" OED Online. June 2003. Oxford University Press. June 2010.] By the 1970s, the concept of a "franchise" player who single-handedly generates success was commonly understood in the sporting trade.
The term
franchise player was in widespread use by the early 1980s to describe both star rookies like
John Elway and
Kelvin Bryant and veterans like
George Brett.
While the term is primarily associated with
North American sports,
it is sometimes used in reference to athletes in sports outside the United States, such as
rugby league.
See also
