Curt flood made agency pro12/26/2023 ![]() ![]() “So he was the man who stepped out of the foxhole to go and challenge.” “If there had not been the person who was going to step out there and take the bullets, there wouldn’t have been anything,” Flood’s widow, the actress Judy Pace, said last weekend. Supreme Court, but the union’s fight went on. I, therefore, request that you make known to all the major league clubs my feelings in this matter, and advise them of my availability for the 1970 season.”įlood and the union lost that fight in a lawsuit that went all the way the U.S. I have received a contract offer from the Philadelphia club, but I believe I have the right to consider offers from other clubs before making any decisions. “It is my desire to play baseball in 1970 and I am capable of playing. “I believe that any system which produces that result violates my basic rights as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States and of the several states. ![]() ![]() “After 12 years in the major leagues, I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes,” Flood wrote in his Dec. Flood broke with the sport’s culture of conformity and refused to accept the Cardinals’ right to deal him, becoming a pioneer and a pariah.Īfter weeks of discussions with the Major League Baseball Players Association, Flood began the union’s equivalent of Lexington and Concord, challenging the reserve clause in first shot of a labor war that would consume the sport for more than a quarter-century. Louis had traded the All-Star center fielder to Philadelphia just after the 1969 season. Subjects: African American History, People Terms: Media - Radio and Television, 20th Century (1900-1999), United States-Washington D.NEW YORK - Curt Flood set off the free-agent revolution 50 years ago Tuesday with a 128-word letter to baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, two paragraphs that pretty much ended the career of a World Series champion regarded as among the sport’s stars but united a union behind his cause. Through his actions off the field, Curt Flood became one of the most influential individuals in the fight for Major League Baseball player rights. In 1975, Major League Baseball began to dismantle the reserve clause, allowing players to obtain free agent status upon the conclusion of their Major League contracts. Although he lost his battle with the reserve clause, other major league players would benefit from his actions. After he retired, Flood spent time as a broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics.Ĭurtis Charles Flood passed away in 1997 at the age of 59 as a result of throat cancer. He played with the Senators for two months before quitting the team and leaving for Europe where he spent time painting and writing his autobiography The Way It Is, which was released in 1971. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-3 in favor of Major League Baseball.įlood sat out the 1970 season and was signed by the Washington Senators in 1971. Kuhn worked its way quickly through the court system to the U.S. Flood then filed a $1 million lawsuit in 1970 against Kuhn and Major League Baseball. He petitioned the League’s commissioner Bowie Kuhn to allow for him to become a free agent, which meant he would have the right to go to the team of his choice. Louis Cardinals to trade Flood without his consent. Instead he and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association (MLBPA) challenged the Major League Baseball reserve clause, which allowed for the St. Flood refused this trade, giving up a $100,000 annual salary. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies – a team which at the time had a struggling record and according to Flood, had racist fans. After the 1969 season, he was traded from the St. During his eleven seasons with the Cardinals, Flood became one of the premier outfielders in the American League, going 226 games without an error, winning the Golden Glove Award seven times and helping the Cardinals win two World Series Championships in 19.Ĭurt Flood, however, is more widely known for his actions off the baseball field. Louis Cardinals in 1958 where he played until 1969. After two seasons with the Reds, Flood was traded to the St. Showing great promise he signed a contract in 1956 with the National League Cincinnati Reds while he was an 18-year-old senior at Oakland Technical High School. Curt Flood, an American Major League Baseball player best known for his challenge of the “reserve clause,” was born Januin Houston, Texas and was raised in Oakland, California.įlood began playing baseball as a youth. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |