- CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES FULL
- CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES PROFESSIONAL
- CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES FREE
Flood made it quite clear that he was against not being in control of his own destiny.Ī few players before him tried to contest the reverse clause and failed. It also forced the courts to take a look at whether or not baseball was a sport or a business.
CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES PROFESSIONAL
This stance shook up professional sports as a whole. He not only refused to go, but he wanted to challenge the clause with his lawyer.įlood also let the executive and founder of the Players Association know that he was suing the league. However, the decision to be sent to another team did not sit well with Curt Flood. Regardless of his long-standing relationship with the team, Curtis Flood found himself out in far left field.ĭue to the reverse clause of the 20th century, players were bound to one franchise unless traded, released, or retired. On October 8, 1969, the major leaguer was told by middle management that he was being traded. He also missed a fly ball in the middle of a championship game, which may have played a factor in his salary readjustment and career with the team from then on. In 1968, Flood’s bright light started to dim when he demanded a raise from the Cardinals.
CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES FULL
As he continued to improve his skills throughout the years, Curt Flood earned several accolades, such as two-time World Series championships, three-time All Star, and seven-time Gold Glove.ĭespite having an overall great career full of highs and lows, the professional’s best challenge was yet to come. Louis Cardinals, where he remained for 12 seasons as a center fielder.ĭuring this time, the athlete was able to flourish, especially under the management of Johnny Keane in 1961. About a year later, he was traded to the St. Flood made his debut into major league baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs on September 9, 1956.
CURT FLOOD MADE PRO ATHLETES FREE
“It’s such a shame that he’s not given his contribution to the betterment of the sport.If it weren’t for the actions of this courageous man Curtis Charles Flood, athletes would not have a free agency platform to stand on. Like many others who bucked the system and sacrificed their careers to make their sport better for those who would come later, Flood should be better recognized, said his son. To be frank about it, they were in the owners’ pocket.” Snyder added, “You had a lot of White sportswriters and columnists who were unsympathetic. Smith said the reporters at the time opposed Flood’s actions. “Of all the people that we know, Curt was the ideal player who could do what it required… who would give up a salary of $90,000 to $100,000,” added McCarver. “Curt made it perfectly clear that he was going to do it by himself,” said McCarver, who admitted that he wished he would have spoken out more back then in support of Flood. Save for a few-namely former players Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenburg and former owner Bill Veeck, who testified on his behalf-Flood stood alone in his fight. He said, ‘Don’t let them put the genie back in the bottle,’ and I never forgot how he delivered in that moment.” “I had the great honor of being there when Curt Flood came to speak to the players. He, along with Flood’s teammate Tim McCarver, MLB journalist and Hall-of-Famer Claire Smith, former baseball player David Cone, and Flood’s son Curt Flood, Jr., discussed the late major leaguer’s impact on the game.Ĭone recalled when Flood, nearly three years before his death due to cancer at age 59, spoke to players on solidarity as they prepared to strike. 16 Shirley Povich virtual Symposium, that current MLBer Gerrit Cole publicly thanked Flood when he signed a big deal with the New York Yankees.įlood sparked “an economic revolution,” said Georgetown Law School Professor Brad Snyder.
But Merrill College Journalism Professor and veteran journalist Kevin Blackistone pointed out, as moderator of the Nov. The repeated narrative for decades is that today’s major leaguers don’t know, or care, or respect, or recognize who Flood was and what he did, journalist David Steele recently tweeted. Three years later in 1975, the reserve clause was struck down and MLB and the players union agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that introduced free agency in 1976. Supreme Court in 1972, and the Court ruled 5-3 in favor of MLB.
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