A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports
by Brad Snyder
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brad SnyderEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-25
ISBN: 0452288916
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Plume
Book Reviews of A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports
Book Review: The Best Damn Sports Book I Have Ever Read. Period.
Summary: 5 Stars
It has been so many years since the events depicted in "A Well Paid Slave" took place that I had largely forgotten a good deal of the story. In fact, I am ashamed to admit that I was unaware or had completely forgotten that Curt Flood passed away more than a decade ago. The story of Curt Flood was one that desperately needed to be told. I certainly needed to be reminded of the tremendous sacrifices that this man made when he gave up literally everything to challenge baseball's sacrosanct reserve clause in 1970. Oddly enough author Brad Snyder thought that the story of Curt Flood was so compelling that he abruptly quit his job at a prominent Washington D.C. law firm in order to devote full time to writing "A Well Paid Slave". This is a story of a man who was willing to put it all on the line for the principles he believed in. He seemed to be fully aware of the ramifications of his decision. Yet, as you will discover Curt Flood paid a price far greater than he, his legal team, or his small cadre of supporters could ever have imagined. Indeed, life would never ever be the same for the former St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder.
By way of review, or for those too young to remember, the event that triggered this historic chain of events was the news shortly after the 1969 season that the St. Louis Cardinals had sent Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a seven player swap. After a dozen notable seasons with the Cardinals what really irritated and hurt Flood the most was that he first learned of the deal from a reporter. And when the Cardinals finally did call to inform him of the trade the caller was not General Manager Bing Devine but one of his assistants. Flood was furious and immediately vowed that he would never report to the Phillies. In Flood's view baseball players were being treated like cattle. The reserve clause essentially bound a player to his team for life. For 90 years, baseball players had been bought and sold without any regard whatsoever to the players wishes. Flood recalled the time in 1957 when as a young Cincinnati Reds farmhand he was told that he had been traded to St. Louis. Curt Flood vowed right then and there that he would never again submit himself to a trade. True to his word Curt Flood announced that he would retire rather than report to the Phillies.
The idea for suing Major League Baseball over the reserve clause was first proposed in a meeting Flood had with St. Louis attorney Allan H. Zerman in early 1970. This was Zerman's idea. The more Curt Flood thought about it the more he was convinced that he was the man to challenge Major League Baseball's anti-trust exemption and ultimately the reserve clause. Shortly thereafter he decided to call Marvin Miller. The rest is history. Throughout "A Well Paid Slave" author Brad Snyder does a workmanlike job of tracing the long and winding road that Flood's legal case would take. Curt Flood and his legal team were under no illusions. They knew they were in for a long and bloody battle that they were likely to lose. MLB would use its vast influence and political connections to make sure that the status quo would be preserved. And like Curt Flood, readers are bound to get a bit upset when they read about some of the shenanigans that took place at the Supreme Court while this case was being considered. Brad Snyder also spends a great deal of time focusing on Curt Flood's personal life both during the time of the litigation and after. Sad to say this part of the story has more downs that ups but it is very important that people understand what Curt Flood went through in order to change a blatantly unfair system. In the end Curt Flood would fail in his attempt to overturn the reserve clause. But no one can deny that it was his courageous decision to press the issue that paved the way for free agency as we know it today.
Without a doubt, "A Well Paid Slave" is one of the most meticulously documented books I have ever read. There are 80 pages of notes at the end of the book! This book grabbed my attention in the first few pages and I simply could not put it down. Like the man this book is about "A Well Paid Slave" certainly deserved a lot more attention than it got. This is a book that can be enjoyed by a wide audience that would include sports fans, history buffs and general readers as well. Obviously, it goes without saying that this one should be required reading for all professional athletes who owe a debt of gratitude to a man who chose to make a stand. Very highly recommended!
Summary of A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports
After the 1969 season, the St. Louis Cardinals traded their star center fielder, Curt Flood, to the Philadelphia Phillies, setting off a chain of events that would change professional sports forever. At the time there were no free agents, no no-trade clauses. When a player was traded, he had to report to his new team or retire. Unwilling to leave St. Louis and influenced by the civil rights movement, Flood chose to sue Major League Baseball for his freedom. His case reached the Supreme Court, where Flood ultimately lost. But by challenging the system, he created an atmosphere in which, just three years later, free agency became a reality. Flood's decision cost him his career, but as this dramatic chronicle makes clear, his influence on sports history puts him in a league with Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali.General Books
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