![]() ![]() Flood's case went to the Supreme Court, where he lost. ![]() Angered over being traded to the Phillies in 1969, Flood responded by suing Major League Baseball to do away with the reserve clause (which permitted the teams to "own" the players in perpetuity), which would secure him the right to negotiate freely with other teams. This last year has seen three Flood biographies, and there is good reason to believe that Weiss, a history professor (The President's Man) who takes a skeptical position toward Flood, has produced one of the most enlightening. With his wiry frame and stern countenance, Curt Flood is the storied Cardinals center fielder who became a 1960s civil rights cause c l bre however, a hagiographic shroud has enveloped Flood, making accurate assessment of his legacy difficult. It shows that Flood was neither a hero nor a martyr but a victim of unique circumstances and his own life. The Curt Flood Story is a realistic account of an eloquent man who presented a warm, even vulnerable, face to the public as well as to friends, while hiding his inner furies. Weiss also explains how Flood’s battle against the reserve system cannot be understood in isolation from the personal experiences that precipitated it, such as his youth in a dysfunctional home, his troubled first marriage, his financial problems, and his unwavering commitment to the Cardinals. He suggests why, of all the players traded or sold through the years, it was Flood who brought this challenge. By illuminating Flood’s private side, rarely seen by the public, he reveals how Flood misled a gullible press on a regular basis and how his 1971 memoir, The Way It Is, didn’t tell it the way it really was.ĭrawing on previously untapped sources, Weiss examines more fully and deeply than other writers the complexities of Flood’s decision to pursue his lawsuit-and demonstrates that the picture of Flood as a martyr for free agency is a myth. Weiss shows that Flood was far from the stereotypical “dumb jock” but was rather a proud, multifaceted black man in a business run by white moguls. Supreme Court.Īlthough a superb player, Flood was known to be temperamental and sensitive in suing Major League Baseball he transformed his grievances against the Cardinals front office into an attack on how the business of big-league ball was conducted. ![]() Stuart Weiss examines the man behind the decision, exploring the span of Flood’s life and shedding light on his relationships with those who helped shape his determination to sue baseball and providing a new perspective on the lawsuit that found its way to the U.S. Flood decided to resist a system in which his contract could be traded without his consent and in which he was not at liberty to negotiate his services in an open market. This book reveals the real Curt Flood-more man than myth.įlood stirred up a hornet’s nest by refusing to be traded from the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1969 season, arguing that Major League Baseball’s reserve system reduced him to the status of bondage. Sportswriters and fans alike have helped to paint a picture of Flood as a larger-than-life figure, a portrait that, unhappily, cannot stand closer inspection. Although he lost his case before the Supreme Court, he has become for many a martyr in the eventually successful battle for free agency. Louis Cardinals, is a hero to many for selflessly sacrificing his career to challenge the legality of baseball’s reserve system. Curt Flood, former star center fielder for the St. ![]()
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