MLB’s cartel “maintained unilateral control over players and their salaries” through the enforcement mechanism of the reserve clause. The point is I don’t want anyone to own me. He responded to this retort in an interview with broadcaster Howard Cosell, “That’s not the point. One may be skeptical to embrace the idea that Curt Flood, with a robust salary of $90,000 in 1969, lacked market freedom.
#CURT FLOOD AUTOBIOGRAPHY PROFESSIONAL#
The flawed ruling constrained the freedom of professional baseball players to the same degree as the 1857 Dred Scott ruling limited the definition of a free individual in America. MLB was now exempt from antitrust laws and owners were free to continue unilaterally collude to suppress players’ salaries.
In a much criticized ruling the courts determined that MLB teams were not subject to federal law because competition among teams did not represent interstate commerce but instead “the spontaneous output of human activity” that “was not in its nature commerce.” The reserve clause lived and the Federal League disbanded. The Federal Baseball league contented that the reserve clause violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and the commerce clause of the U.S. In 1914 the upstart Federal Baseball League sued MLB after the FBL’s attempt to lure players away from MLB was thwarted when owners invoked the reserve clause, maintaining a player could not transfer to a new league or team. Louis Cardinals all-star center fielder Curt Flood took his fight against the reserve clause all the way to the Supreme Court in 1972, he not only took on a system that banned players from earning their fair share of baseball’s revenue, but in the process set the wheels in motion to dismantle a system in which ownership affectively possessed the player for life. Players were unable to ask for a trade, seek free agency, and thus possessed no market independence. The reserve clause was an article in players’ contract that stated at the expiration of the contract the player had the option to re-sign only with their current team or retire. My thesis is that Curt Flood, challenging the constrictive reserve clause, paved the path for modern MLB players, including Cano, to contract their labor to the highest market bidder. In Seattle it would be equally appropriate for Cano to switch from number 24 to number 21 to honor a far less celebrated ex-player, Curt Flood. On Decemsecond baseman Robinson Cano, who honors Jackie Robinson ever time he takes the field by wearing the reverse digits of Robinson’s 42 (Robinson’s uniform number, 42, has been retired across baseball to honor breaking the color barrier), left the New York Yankees in free agency to sign a 10 year $240 million dollar contract with the Seattle Mariners, the third highest contract in MLB history. Professional baseball players have not always enjoyed the freedom over their economic fate. I played to get paid.” This quote, recited by the fictitious ex-Major League Baseball pitcher Kenny Powers in the HBO show “Eastbound and Down”, succeeds in accurately representing the evolution of the contemporary MLB player – part athlete and part businessman. You know I played for over ten teams and you know why? Because those are the teams that are willing to pay me the most money. “Let’s face facts guys, playing sports after all is business… Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
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