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Like Jackie Robinson, Baseball Should Honor Curt Flood's Sacrifice

Fifty years ago, Flood took a stand and paved the way for free agency.
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In October 1969, Curt Flood, the St. Louis Cardinals’ star outfielder and a 10-year veteran, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Flood, however, refused the assignment.

It was a decision that sent tremors throughout the sports world.

In a letter to commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Flood wrote: “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 challenged baseball’s restrictive reserve clause and the game’s antitrust status. His case went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. Although he lost his challenge, Flood made his mark.

“It was an important moment in time because it was the precursor to all the events that took place in the 1970s that brought free agency to baseball,” former MLB commissioner Bud Selig said during a phone interview last week.

Flood’s bold act of resistance transformed the business of baseball. He began the process of emancipation that freed players from the tyranny of owners and set the stage for free agency. His contribution to baseball, although highly debated at the time, is generally recognized as a benefit to players and the game.

“Was it important in the context of baseball history? Absolutely,” said Selig, who believes Flood paved the road to free agency while owners “weren’t quite ready for it in 1970 and 1971.”

The turning point came in 1975 when pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally won arbitration. That ruling officially ushered in the era of free agency.

But it was Flood who, in my mind, became the Crispus Attucks of Major League Baseball. Granted, the stakes were much higher in the case of Attucks, who lost his life. Flood lost his career.

Few stars of Flood’s day publicly supported him in his decision. A retired Jackie Robinson, however, testified on Flood’s behalf.

One of the most dramatic moments of the trial occurred when Robinson, whose health was declining because of diabetes, walked to the front of the courtroom using a cane. Flood described the moment in his book, The Way It Is.

When Flood told Robinson, “I really appreciate your taking the time and effort to do this,” Robinson replied, “Well, you can’t be out there by yourself.”

“I remember these words very well,” Flood wrote, “ ‘You can’t be out there by yourself and I would be remiss if I didn’t share these burdens with you.’ ”