Curt Flood, the best center fielder in baseball, was traded against his will and sued Major League Baseball to overturn its reserve clause. For decades, courts had upheld owners' control over players, but Flood argued workers should sell their labor freely. His case destroyed his career but sparked a chain of events that created free agency and reshaped professional sports economics.
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Highlights
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Curt Flood's Legal Challenge
Curt Flood refused to report to his new team and sued MLB, arguing the league should operate like any other business and let players sell their labor freely.
Before free agency, Major League Baseball's reserve clause bound players to one team indefinitely, denying them the right to negotiate with other clubs.