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The World Of Baseball Player For The St. Louis Cardinals Essay

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Curt Flood was an All-Star baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals that did not want to be traded against his wishes to the Philadelphia Phillies. This decision to publicly come out and make this particular statement ultimately started a battle for player liberty and benefits in baseball. This paper will be diving into the ideals and ramifications behind his choice to dispute the sport of baseball, the context of American society around the time of the issue and its relationship, the main events involving Flood’s actions, the labor dispute, Flood v. Kuhn case along with other critical elements in the main body, the progression of this topic in discussion, and a recap of the topic and its significance in relation to contemporary American society in conclusion. This topic represents a time in which athletes, in this case baseball players, did not have a free choice when it came to having the liberty of deciding where they would like to play. The main concepts that will be described within this paper will include the reserve clause, Flood v. Kuhn case, MLBPA, lockouts, or strikes, and free agency. The reserve clause sought to restrict a player’s freedom to move into a contract with another team. Flood v. Kuhn was the huge case where Flood went against the power of baseball’s commissioner and took the case up to the Supreme Court. The MLBPA is important because it is the players union for when they need to come together as one to respond to a case such as Flood v. Kuhn. A

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