How the interplay of media, race, and one player's defiance created free
agency and changed baseball forever Curt Flood in the Media examines the
public discourse surrounding Curt Flood (1938-1997), the star center
fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals throughout the sixties. In 1969,
Flood was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. At the time, all Major
League Baseball players were subject to the reserve clause, which
essentially bound a player to work in perpetuity for his original team,
unless traded for another player or sold for cash, in which case he
worked under the same reserve conditions for the next team. Flood
refused the trade on a matter of principle, arguing that Major League
Baseball had violated both U.S. antitrust laws and the 13th Amendment's
prohibition of involuntary servitude. In a defiant letter to
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn asking for his contractual release, Flood
infamously wrote, "after twelve years in the major leagues, I do not
feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of
my wishes." Most significantly, Flood appeared on national television
with Howard Cosell and described himself as a "well-paid slave."
Explosive controversy ensued. Khan examines the ways in which the media
constructed the case and Flood's persona. By examining the mainstream
press, the black press, and primary sources including Flood's
autobiography, Khan exposes the complexities of what it means to be a
prominent black American athlete--in 1969 and today. Abraham Iqbal Khan,
Tampa, Florida, is an assistant professor who holds joint appointments
in the department of communication and the department of Africana
studies at the University of South Florida.
