26MLB's Player Trade Clause
In Major League Baseball, there's a trading clause known as the "player to be named later." Thanks to its ambiguous nature, four MLB players have been traded for themselves (as of 2023).
27. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, added a clause to his contract with Paramount specifying that if anyone actually made a functioning tricorder, they would automatically earn the right to call it a tricorder if they wanted to.
28. Carrie Chapman Catt, the women's suffrage leader of the early 20th century, included a special clause in her 1890 wedding prenuptials. This clause guaranteed her four months of free time every year so she could campaign to secure women's right to vote in the US.
29. After an Iranian government contract for a British company was given to Siemens instead, a British embassy investigation revealed that Siemens' Iranian sales agent allowed the Shah to sleep with his wife in exchange for the contract.
30. Jeremy Meeks, a member of the Crips street gang, gained a modeling contract based on his attractive mugshot while he was still in jail. He served 13 months and walked in NY Fashion Week a year later. Within five years of his release, he also walked in Milan Fashion Week, helped launch a fashion line, acted, and more.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Kaufman's Tony Clifton Contract
Actor Andy Kaufman insisted that his alter ego, Tony Clifton, a drunken, cigarette-smoking lounge singer/insult comic, have guest appearances on ABC sitcom Taxi with a separate contract. After showing up to set with two prostitutes, Clifton was fired. A week later, Andy returned as if nothing had happened.
32. Lionel Messi's first contract with FC Barcelona was written on a restaurant napkin during a meeting with executives. That napkin is now securely held in a safe at Credit Andorra Bank.
33. Voice actress Julie Kavner, who voiced Marge in The Simpsons, has a clause in her contract exempting her from promoting herself on camera as Marge's voice.
34. Samuel Jackson has a clause in his film contracts that grants him the freedom to play golf during film shoots whenever he desires.
35. William Shatner directed 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' due to a clause in his contract dating back to the original series. This clause ensured that whatever Leonard Nimoy received, Shatner would too. After Nimoy directed 'Star Trek IV', Shatner insisted on his turn at directing a movie.
