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Curt Flood Trial and Appeals: 1970-72

Extra Innings

Curt Flood returned from Europe in 1976 to serve as a sportscaster in California. He had sacrificed his career and a very good chance of being elected to baseball's Hall of Fame (although there remains a movement to get him there). But in the end, he had triumphed. In 1975 the reserve clause was effectively struck down by an arbitrator. And the year after Flood died in 1997, President Bill Clinton signed what Congress had called "The Curt Flood Law," finally setting aside the exemption that allowed the reserve clause to control players.

—John S. Bowman

Suggestions for Further Reading

Flood, Curt. "Why I Am Challenging Baseball." Sport (March, 1970): 10-3.

Flood, Curt, with Richard Carter. Curt Flood. The Way It Is. New York: Trident Press, 1971.

"Found—An Abe Lincoln of Baseball: Curt Flood's Court Action for Changing the Reserve Clause." Ebony (March 1970): 110-11.

"A Loss for Curt Flood." Newsweek (July 3, 1972): 67.

New York Times. See Flood, Kurt in the New York Times Index, Jan. 17, 25, 1970; May 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 1970; June 11, 1970; Aug. 13, 1970. Jan. 28, 1971; April 8, 11, 28, 30, 1971; Oct. 20, 1971; Mar. 21, 1972; June 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 30, 1972; July 1, 1972.

Zimbalist, Andrew. Baseball and Billions. New York: Basic Books, 1992.

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1963 to 1972Curt Flood Trial and Appeals: 1970-72 - Flood's Conditioning, The Playoffs, Three Strikes …, Extra Innings, Suggestions For Further Reading