Curt Flood Biography
Curt Flood was birthed Curtis Charles Flood on January 18, 1938, in Houston, Texas, USA. His family members transferred to Oakland, California, when he was a little one, as well as he spent most of his formative years there. As an African American athlete maturing in the 1940s and 1950s, Flood came across numerous racial injustices that fueled his desire to make a substantial effect on the world, both as a private and as an athlete.
Flood started playing sporting activities at a young age, concentrating largely on baseball. He attended Oakland Technical High School, where he became an exceptional athlete. In 1956, he authorized an expert baseball agreement with the Cincinnati Reds right out of high school. Nevertheless, his surge to success would not come very easy. He was traded to the minors and moved numerous times prior to lastly making it back to the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958.
Curt Flood quickly cemented his track record as one of the leading center fielders in the organization, gathering various distinctions. In between 1960 and 1971, he won 7 Gold Glove awards, made the All-Star group 3 times, and also was a vital factor to 2 World Series championships in 1964 as well as 1967.
Despite his success on the field, Flood would certainly become most identified for the role he played in challenging the book stipulation in baseball's labor system. The reserve condition stipulated that a player can pass by which team they would play for; rather, they were bound to their initial franchise business unless traded or launched by the owner. To numerous, this resembled the oppressive circumstances of the past in which a person was denied the right to manage their work as well as destiny.
In 1969, Flood was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies against his desires. Flood refused to report to the Phillies and also chose to challenge the get stipulation, filing a suit against Major League Baseball. The instance, called Flood v. Kuhn, reached the United States Supreme Court in 1972, yet the court ruled against Flood, upholding the book provision.
Though he shed the court battle, Flood's activities developed a causal sequence that would at some point transform specialist sporting activities. Years later, in 1975, the book clause was efficiently eliminated, leading to cost-free firm and also players having the flexibility to bargain with any group they wanted upon the expiration of their agreements.
As an outcome of his position against the reserve stipulation, Flood sacrificed both his occupation and rewarding revenue. He retired after the 1971 period with a career batting standard of.293, over 1,800 hits, and many defensive accolades. After retiring from baseball, Flood repainted and also became an announcer for the Oakland Athletics.
Sadly, Curt Flood died on January 20, 1997, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 59 from throat cancer cells. His bold battle against the repressive reserve provision system sealed his heritage as a pioneer in sporting activities background, with his influence really felt to this day by athletes of all backgrounds.
Our collection contains 19 quotes who is written / told by Curt.
Related authors: Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)