9/12/2023 0 Comments Curt flood made agency other pro![]() This forced owners to accept free agency and the concept of it spread throughout the sports world. In 1975, two players played without signing a contract and an arbitrator ruled them as free agents. Flood eventually lost the case but he started a revolution.Īfter years of the players union protesting the owners’ complete control over them, the free agency idea was finally underway. ![]() The only two stars that were on Flood’s side were Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg and they were no longer in the league at that point. The players were scared that if they publicly sided with Flood that their owners would terminate their contracts and ruin their baseball careers in the process. He knew the importance of the player’s right to choose their career path and not be imprisoned by the history of baseball owner’s dominance over their players.įlood had few supporters. This was much bigger than his future career with baseball. This did not stop Flood from pursuing the case, and he knew that if he had won he probably would not be signed by another team. Going into the trial, Flood was told by his lawyer that he did not have a strong chance of winning the case since the owners had a long history of coming out on top. The only significant protest to unfair wages and agency over players’ rights was with the 1919 Chicago Black Sox who threw away the World Series, since their owner wouldn’t pay them as much money as the people who set up the scandal.įlood immediately hired a lawyer and sued Major League Baseball for not giving him the right to negotiate with other teams. So when Flood refused to go to the Phillies, everyone turned their attention towards the situation. Players in this era signed lifetime contracts, referred to as the reserve clause, which gave the owners all the power to trade players away and take the reigns of the business aspect of the game. ![]() At this time, there wasn’t a free agency system, which allows players to negotiate with other teams and gives them the freedom to control their baseball career. This did not sit well with Flood since he had no say in the matter. 987 fielding percentage is still held in high regard and he was considered to be one of the best defensive center fielders of his time.Īfter the 1969 season, Flood was traded from the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies. During his tenure with the Cards, Flood won seven golden gloves, made three all-star appearances, and won two World Series titles. Louis Cardinals and was a consistent offensive force. In 1969, Curt Flood had built up an impressive baseball resume. Without Curtis Charles Flood, the business aspect of Major League Baseball would not be where it is now. For this week’s Black History Month athlete in focus, I will be profiling an athlete who has fallen off the radar despite being one of the most important figures in sports history. ![]()
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