![]() Louis, he became the front man for the newly-formed Curt Flood & Assoc., Inc., a commercial art and photography enterprise. In 1967, at the height of his prominence in St. The letterhead itself signaled what Curt Flood had achieved - and what he was about to give up - when he chose to upend the whole system. “The letter is brilliant,” said Flood’s widow, the actress Judy Pace. Five decades on, the document still offers hints of strength, vulnerability and courage. They stand as the opening skirmish of a battle that led to free agency and changed professional sports. They hold significance within the context of the nation’s civil rights movement. “After twelve years in the Major Leagues,” the opening line reads, “I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes.”įlood’s words have since been analyzed and anthologized by scholars. The first step had to be a public declaration of his freedom. ![]() Instead, he resolved to challenge the injustice in court, despite knowing that his odds of victory were slim and that the fight would cost him his career. But because baseball’s longstanding reserve clause gave teams total control of its players, Flood’s only recourse would have been to quit. ![]() Flood had been traded from the Cardinals to the Phillies. Curt Flood sent the letter 50 years ago today, on Christmas Eve, to baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn.
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