the.com/offseason

the months athletes spend either becoming legends or becoming someone you don't recognize at media day

means The stretch of time when a sport isn't being played competitively — the gap between one season ending and the next beginning.

from A plain English compound of 'off' (meaning inactive or away from duty, as in 'off duty') and 'season' (a recurring period, from Latin 'satio,' a sowing or planting time, via Old French). 'Season' first meant the agricultural sowing window, then broadened to any cyclical stretch; 'offseason' simply marks the part of that cycle when the main activity is switched off — a usage that grew with organized sport and tourism, where business or play runs hot and then goes quiet.

weight swings
NFL linemen gain and shed 20+ pounds yearly
injury haven
surgeries get scheduled here to protect game availability
trade season
most blockbuster deals happen when nobody's playing
contract leverage
holdouts and demands brew far from cameras
reinvention window
new swings, new pitches, new bodies debut later
for instance

nba offseason 2023 — when lebron james joined the lakers and traded chris paul to wizards

premier league summer 2024 — when manchester city signed erling haaland for £60 million

nfl free agency 2024 — when kirk cousins signed with atlanta falcons for $180 million

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