It wasn’t until his selfless challenge of the reserve clause – an automatic one-year contract renewal in the standard player’s contract that, in the club owners’ view, tied players to their clubs in perpetuity -- that he also became known to players as their hero.When Flood was traded by the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 8, 1969, he balked at the idea that he was a commodity whose rights were owned by others.Flood consulted with the Players Association’s founding Executive Director Marvin Miller and traveled to the union’s Executive Board meeting in early December where he secured his fellow players’ unanimous support.Miller and the players on the Executive Board wanted to ensure that Flood fully understood the ramifications of his stance and that he had the wherewithal to stick with his position even though the odds were stacked against him.Recalled Miller: “He (Flood) thought about that a little while and he said, ‘But if we won the case, wouldn’t that benefit all the other players?’ And I said, oh yes. In 1986, Flood finally got sober. Five years later, a federal court effectively killed the reserve clause. On Oct. 7, 1969, The St. Louis Cardinals traded outfielder Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies in a blockbuster deal involving slugging first baseman Richie Allen. He did it anyway because he refused to be treated like a piece of property, in other words a slave. It was Flood who, when the Cardinals traded him to the Washington Senators after the 1969 season, first challenged baseball's reserve clause-which bound players for life to the clubs that first signed them-in court. Flood v. Kuhn, 407 U.S. 258 (1972), was a United States Supreme Court decision upholding, by a 5–3 margin, the antitrust exemption first granted to Major League Baseball (MLB) in Federal Baseball Club v. National League.It arose from a challenge by St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder Curt Flood when he refused to be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1969 season. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Curt Flood baseball stats page. He lost, but baseball was shaken.
Flood was 31 when he sent that letter on Dec. 24, 1969. Curt Flood challenged the plantation – even though he was advised that doing so would cost him his career and all his money. As recent events have shown, activism extends to athletes’ role as workers. Curt Flood’s widow, Judy Pace Flood, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark, and Miami Marlins outfielder Curtis Granderson have shared with the Players Association their thoughts and recollections about Flood’s legendary challenge of the sport’s reserve clause and its impact on the game and players’ rights. All Rights Reserved. “I would even go as far as to suggest not just the players in baseball, but the players in other sports, owe (Curt) a debt of gratitude. "He gave it all up for the principle of 'I own me. “What Curt Flood did and championed is resonating throughout professional sports for the past 50 years,” Rep. David Trone, a Maryland Democrat who is leading the push for Flood’s enshrinement, said at a news conference. "Today's players should know Curt Flood. "Through the 1969 season, Curt Flood’s last before challenging the reserve clause, he had posted a .302 career batting average and was widely recognized as having succeeded Willie Mays as the game’s best defensive center fielder. “Curt Flood got you these things,” he’d say. MLBPA trademarks, copyrighted works and other intellectual property rights are owned by MLBPA and may not be used without its consent. Giving their financial and moral support to Flood that winter was a key moment in players coming together as a fraternity. He had earned seven straight Gold Glove Awards and set a record for consecutive games without an error by an outfielder.Flood was known in the game as a soft-spoken superstar on the field, a fast, slender guy who chased down line drives in the gaps and stole hits from them. Few do. It was Flood who, when the
Given that Flood came into baseball in the 1960s during the tumultuous civil rights struggles in the United States, it was of little surprise that he and other African-American players emerged at the forefront of the union’s leadership and struggles for player rights. ‘And all the players to come?’ And I said, oh yes, and he said, ‘that’s good enough for me.’”When he returned from the Executive Board Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Flood served notice to Major League Baseball that he would challenge the reserve clause.“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 a Dec. 24, 1969 letter to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, requesting the right to consider offers from other clubs. Curt Flood’s widow, Judy Pace Flood, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark, and Miami Marlins outfielder Curtis Granderson have shared with the Players Association their thoughts and recollections about Flood’s legendary challenge of the sport’s reserve clause and its impact on the game and players’ rights.
Today, 50 years after the trade that would lead to that Supreme Court ruling, Flood’s courage and determination lives on in the lives of all professional athletes who have enjoyed the benefits derived from his sacrifice. Few do. He had five children; they are named Debbie, Gary, Shelly, Scott, and "His character, his understanding, and appreciation of the responsibility that he had, and was willing to take, is something that all of us as players owe a debt of gratitude. Flood surely knew that he was fighting for all players and players knew Flood was fighting on their behalf as well.Flood eventually lost his case before the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-3 decision in June 1972.
Flood was 18 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 9, 1956, with the Cincinnati Redlegs. I would even go as far as to suggest not just the players in baseball, but the players in other sports, owe (Curt) a debt of gratitude. Although his significant on-field contributions to the game may fade over time, Flood’s heroic personal and professional sacrifices will never be forgotten. "© 2020 Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).
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