Journeyman (sports)
Encyclopedia
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.
and Sue Horton as examples.
Journeymen players are usually distinguished from an élite or "star" player. Quirk and Fort note that the concerns of journeymen players and superstars, with respect to contract and other negotiations, differ: Superstars are concerned with the preservation of their rights to be free agents, whilst journeymen players are concerned with issues such as league minimum salaries and player pensions. Fort observes that this leads to conflicts between journeymen and superstars, such as (Fort's example) the 1995 attempt by a group of superstar players to derail the agreement between the NBA
and its players' association. Holt and Mason note that in football
, golf
, flat racing
, snooker
, cricket
, and other sports there is a clear distinction in earnings between the few rich stars in each sport and the journeyman professionals. They state that snooker has "an élite of perhaps twenty players" and point to a distinction between high earning test cricket
ers with six figure wages and "the average county
professional" (for whom they give Simon Hughes
, who earned £50,000 in the whole of his twelve years in county cricket, as an example). Vamplew describes how league cricket in the 1890s provided little attraction for star cricketers but was greatly attractive to journeymen players in county cricket, eventually forcing the counties to raise their conventional maximum wage, offer winter pay to more players, and expand the fixture lists.
O'Leary notes as significant the fact that whilst star football players will be treated with lenience by clubs, for journeyman footballers the taking of recreational drugs usually terminates their careers. (He gives Roger Stanislaus
and Craig Whitington
as examples.) Clubs will regard it as worthwhile to wait for stars to become available for team selection after suspension or imprisonment, but not for journeymen.
The journeyman can, however, be quite valuable in the team sports context. While it is almost always economically non-viable for even the richest teams in sports without salary caps to have a roster made up fully of superstar players, and would likely not happen even with economic viability because of the lack of attention some players would end up getting, journeymen often make up a large part of a team. This is especially true in the context of baseball
, where journeymen often make up large parts of a team's pitching staff and contribute crucially to a team's success. Many journeymen can be highly experienced, and often play a "utility" role to cover for injuries or tactical changes as required.
with 24 different clubs, he is currently the only athlete to have played professionally on all six inhabited continents, Trevor Benjamin
has represented 29 different clubs since 1995, Drewe Broughton
who has made 18 transfers in his career, John Burridge
who had a career spanning almost 30 years or Richard Pacquette
who boasts 19 different clubs and even international honours in 10 seasons.
There is no set figure of clubs to make a player a journeyman, but it is a title bestowed on a player by fans. They differ from players such as Matthew Le Tissier
who remain at the same level during their careers, but at the same club through loyalty.
Definitions
Alexandra Allred states that a journeywoman is "someone who has been counted out, told that she is wasting her time, told that she should cut her losses and move on to something more practical", but counters that negative picture by asserting that a "true journeywoman" is "someone who has heard all the nay-sayers, then headed toward her goal and, through her determination, proved her worth and taken her prize", giving Louise RitterLouise Ritter
Louise Dorothy Ritter is a former track and field athlete from the United States, who won the gold medal in the women's high jump at the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea. This graduate from Red Oak High School now has a street named after her located in her former home town of Red...
and Sue Horton as examples.
Journeymen players are usually distinguished from an élite or "star" player. Quirk and Fort note that the concerns of journeymen players and superstars, with respect to contract and other negotiations, differ: Superstars are concerned with the preservation of their rights to be free agents, whilst journeymen players are concerned with issues such as league minimum salaries and player pensions. Fort observes that this leads to conflicts between journeymen and superstars, such as (Fort's example) the 1995 attempt by a group of superstar players to derail the agreement between the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and its players' association. Holt and Mason note that in football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
, snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and other sports there is a clear distinction in earnings between the few rich stars in each sport and the journeyman professionals. They state that snooker has "an élite of perhaps twenty players" and point to a distinction between high earning test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
ers with six figure wages and "the average county
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
professional" (for whom they give Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes (cricketer)
Simon Peter Hughes is an English cricketer and journalist. He is the son of the actor, Peter Hughes, and the brother of the historian Bettany Hughes.-Cricket career:...
, who earned £50,000 in the whole of his twelve years in county cricket, as an example). Vamplew describes how league cricket in the 1890s provided little attraction for star cricketers but was greatly attractive to journeymen players in county cricket, eventually forcing the counties to raise their conventional maximum wage, offer winter pay to more players, and expand the fixture lists.
O'Leary notes as significant the fact that whilst star football players will be treated with lenience by clubs, for journeyman footballers the taking of recreational drugs usually terminates their careers. (He gives Roger Stanislaus
Roger Stanislaus
Roger Stanislaus is a retired English footballer of Polish descent, who rose to notoriety in February 1996 after he received a one-year ban from football as punishment for taking cocaine....
and Craig Whitington
Craig Whitington
Craig Whitington was a former professional footballer, who played for Crawley Town,Bridgeport, Scarborough, Huddersfield Town and Rochdale.He has had two children Naomi and Charlie...
as examples.) Clubs will regard it as worthwhile to wait for stars to become available for team selection after suspension or imprisonment, but not for journeymen.
The journeyman can, however, be quite valuable in the team sports context. While it is almost always economically non-viable for even the richest teams in sports without salary caps to have a roster made up fully of superstar players, and would likely not happen even with economic viability because of the lack of attention some players would end up getting, journeymen often make up a large part of a team. This is especially true in the context of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, where journeymen often make up large parts of a team's pitching staff and contribute crucially to a team's success. Many journeymen can be highly experienced, and often play a "utility" role to cover for injuries or tactical changes as required.
Association football
In association football, a journeyman is a player who has represented many different clubs over his career. Prime examples of such a player are German goalkeeper Lutz PfannenstielLutz Pfannenstiel
Lutz Pfannenstiel is a German football goalkeeper.- Club career :Pfannenstiel is mostly famous for having played for 25 different clubs all around the world during his career, including stints in Germany, England, New Zealand, Singapore, USA, Brazil, South Africa, Finland, Malaysia, Malta,...
with 24 different clubs, he is currently the only athlete to have played professionally on all six inhabited continents, Trevor Benjamin
Trevor Benjamin
Trevor Junior Benjamin is an English born Jamaican ex-international footballer who is now plying his trade as player-manager at Northern League side Morpeth Town. He plays as a forward or winger....
has represented 29 different clubs since 1995, Drewe Broughton
Drewe Broughton
Drewe Oliver Broughton is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Thurrock. He has made over 400 senior appearances for 20 different clubs in a career spanning 15 years.-Earlier years:...
who has made 18 transfers in his career, John Burridge
John Burridge
John Burridge is an English former football goalkeeper who played for 29 different clubs in a career that lasted nearly 30 years. Overall, Burridge played 771 league games in the English and Scottish leagues, and several more at non-league level...
who had a career spanning almost 30 years or Richard Pacquette
Richard Pacquette
Richard Francis Pacquette is a footballer who plays for Hayes & Yeading United as a striker.Pacquette started his career with Queens Park Rangers and he made his first team debut towards the end of the 2000–01 season. He had loan spells with Stevenage Borough, Dagenham & Redbridge and Mansfield...
who boasts 19 different clubs and even international honours in 10 seasons.
There is no set figure of clubs to make a player a journeyman, but it is a title bestowed on a player by fans. They differ from players such as Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
who remain at the same level during their careers, but at the same club through loyalty.