The Flood v. Kuhn Court Case
"I was flabbergasted because I am an American and I thought like an American and I thought that everyone could see that baseball players were getting the short end of a very short stick."
-Curt Flood on the Supreme Court decision "Plaintiff's witnesses in the main concede that some form of reserve on players is a necessary element of the organization of baseball as a league sport, but contend that the present all-embracing system is needlessly restrictive and offer various alternatives which in their view might loosen the bonds without sacrifice to the game. . . Clearly the preponderance of credible proof does not favor elimination of the reserve clause. With the sole exception of plaintiff himself, it shows that even plaintiff's witnesses do not contend that it is wholly undesirable; in fact they regard substantial portions meritorious. . . ."
-Judge Irving Ben Cooper at the New York District Court |
On January 16, 1970, Curt Flood sued Bowie Kuhn and Major League Baseball. After losing in a New York District Court and in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Flood v. Kuhn went to the Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor of Major League Baseball by a margin of 5 to 3.
|
|