In 2011, both Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL) saw the expiration of their collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) between the players’ unions and owners. Without an agreement in place, the two leagues would have been unable to play the next season. The CBAs established basic contract provisions, pensions and other benefits for players, and, most importantly, granted players the right to move between teams at their own discretion and outlined the manner in which they could do so. This process of changing teams was known as free agency.