Redshirt is a term used in college athletics to describe a year in which a student-athlete does not participate in official competition, with the goal of preserving or extending their eligibility to compete in future seasons. Practically, the player sits out the competitive games for a season but can still practice with the team, attend classes, and receive financial aid or scholarships. The core idea is to give the athlete more time to develop physically and academically before competing regularly. Key points

• Eligibility extension: A typical four-year limit on playing time is effectively extended by delaying game participation for a season. This allows athletes to develop skills, adjust academically, or recover from injury without losing a year of eligibility.
• Practice and development: Redshirt athletes can practice with the team, which helps them improve and learn team systems, even though they don’t play in official games that season.
• NCAA context: While widely practiced in NCAA Division I and II programs, “redshirt” is not an official NCAA term, but the concept is common across many college sports programs. The general principle remains the same: one season of non-participation to gain long-term benefits.
• Variations and timing: Athletes might redshirt at the start of college (freshman year) or later if they suffer an injury, need more time to develop, or aren’t seeing competitive on-field opportunities. In some cases, an “injury redshirt” or medical redshirt is used to preserve eligibility after an injury.
• Other uses of the term: In popular culture, “redshirt” can describe a minor character who appears briefly and then is removed from the main storyline, but this is unrelated to athletics.

If you’d like, I can tailor this explanation to a specific sport, school, or country context (e.g., U.S. college sports vs. international equivalents) and include examples or common timelines.