It tells the story of the struggle to end America’s last remnant of indentured servitude-baseball’s reserve system, whereby once a major league club signed a player to a contract, the player was prohibited from negotiating for a better contract with other clubs. “A fun, informative read at the intersection of law and sports. Anyone interested in this case will find Goldman’s book a quick read and an invaluable resource.” Kuhn in a way that laypersons can understand. “One Man Out presents the legal history and analysis of Flood v. “A brief but enjoyable and sympathetic analysis both of Flood the man and of the lawsuit bearing his name.” He is the author of Reconstruction and Black Suffrage and "A Free Ballot and a Fair Court": The Department of Justice and the Enforcement of Voting Rights in the South, 1877-1893. ![]() Goldman is a professor of history in Richmond, Virginia, and an avid baseball fan. Concise and balanced, and written in a fast-paced narrative style, One Man Out reminds students, general readers, and fans that Flood holds a unique and important place in both baseball and American law. And by telling the inside story of the case, he highlights a key labor relations issue in America's most popular sport. In replaying the confrontation between Flood and baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Goldman demonstrates that even a lost lawsuit, with its game-like competition, can be a landmark. With its credibility enhanced, the players’ union continued negotiations until it finally won a version of free agency very similar to Flood’s, with his final vindication coming in the form of the Curt Flood Act of 1998. Baseball owners countered that players owed their success to the reserve system because it maintained competitive balance among teams and heightened interest in the game, which helped fund their high salaries.Īlthough the Supreme Court ruled against Flood, it left the door open to legislation that would remove baseball’s special exemption from antitrust regulation and to future collective bargaining. One Man Out takes readers back to the pre-steroid era when baseball was as much a passion as a pastime-and when race was often still a factor-to focus on decisions made in the courtrooms rather than the dugouts.įlood claimed that the prevailing system was illegal because it violated the Sherman antitrust laws by allowing teams to monopolize the sport in a way that impeded players’ freedom and financial gain-and was even unconstitutional because it, in effect, imposed a form of slavery. Robert Goldman now offers a new look at Flood's efforts to shake the foundations of major league baseball. Flood challenged the game's reserve clause system that bound players to teams as if they were property and while others had previously spoken out against this arrangement, protected by Congress and the courts for a century, he was the first to pursue his grievance as doggedly or as far. ![]() Louis Cardinals, refused to be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1968, he sent shock waves throughout professional baseball that ultimately reached the Supreme Court. His foundation served children in foster care and greatly improved the lives of those with immunodeficiency.When Curt Flood, all-star center fielder for the St. It was argued before the Supreme Court in 1972, and in 1975, the reserve clause was finally struck down, improving free agency rights for players for decades to come.įlood served as Senior Professional Baseball Commissioner in 1989 and built the Curt Flood Youth Foundation shortly after. On January 16, 1970, Flood filed a $1 million lawsuit against Major League Baseball, alleging violation of federal antitrust laws. He even opened Curt Flood Photography studio in the late 1960s while still playing. As a professional, he balanced the pressures of the game with the peace of painting. His creative eye led him to paint, write poems, and participate in theater before the majors. 300.īeyond the diamond, Flood was an unlikely artist. During that period, Flood captured six Gold Glove awards, six MVP recognitions, and consistently batted over. ![]() Some may remember Flood’s seven-year streak of success with the St. He entered the world in Houston, TX in 1938, and he died at the start of 1997 in Los Angeles, CA. Curt Flood's legacy of fighting for and eventually winning free agency rights for players was his greatest contribution to the game of baseball.
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