Preseason

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Preseason ( Engl. For season) referred in sports leagues , the time before the actual in English-speaking season ( regular season , then held the competition for the championships in). In the preseason the teams train ( training camp ) and preparatory games ( exhibition games ) are played. In addition to testing new players and tactics in preparation for the regular season , in some cases the preparation games also serve to promote your own team and the league in new markets.

In Major League Baseball (MLB), the time Spring Training ( Spring Training ) called instead Preseason.

National Football League (NFL)

The preseason of the National Football League (NFL) only includes the four to five weeks in which the preseason games (at least four per team) are played. In a broader sense, this also includes the training camp of the teams concerned (no more than 15 days before the first preseason game). This is followed by the 17-week regular season of the NFL , with 16 games per team, and this is followed by the 5-week post season ( playoffs ) with 12 teams in the knockout system , which ends with the Super Bowl .

To open up new markets, the NFL played the American Bowl in the 1990s .

In the NFL, contracts can also be concluded before and after the preseason. The phase of most player changes, the so-called " Free Agency ", heralds the new league year of the NFL and begins in March. However, for certain players with certain contracts / tags, there are times in the preseason up to which their previous clubs have an exclusive right to negotiate with them.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) training camps begin after the summer break in late September and last about four weeks until the new season starts in late October. Some of the preparatory games are regularly played in cities in which the NBA is not yet or no longer present. Games are also regularly played outside of the United States and Canada .

National Hockey League (NHL)

In the National Hockey League (NHL), the preseason will "Exhibition Season" ( exhibition season called). During the preseason, the NHL teams can also play games against teams from other countries and leagues. There are regular games against European teams, for example. B. against teams of the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL).

Major League Baseball (MLB)

Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training usually begins in the first week of February and lasts until the end of March or the beginning of April, depending on the first matchday in the MLB.