Flood Hall of Fame push
Congress urges MLB to put Curt in Cooperstown
On Thursday, Congress, in conjunction with the MLBPA, urged the league to enshrine Curt Flood in the Hall of Fame via the Golden Days Committee.
“Curt Flood's historic challenge of the reserve clause a half-century ago transcended baseball,” wrote the MLB, NBA, NFL NHL and MLS Players Associations in a joint statement. “He courageously sacrificed his career to take a stand for the rights of all players in professional sports, bringing the issue of free agency to the forefront of national discussion. His accomplishments on the field and off warrant induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Despite being an excellent player in his own right, making three NL All-Star teams and winning seven consecutive Gold Gloves, Flood's career was highlighted by his activism against baseball's reserve clause, which effectively gave teams full control of their players through the duration of their careers.
After being traded from the Cardinals to the Phillies after the 1969 season, Flood refused to report to camp the following year, and instead sued MLB for his right to free agency. Flood played just 13 games after his age 31 season, never getting a chance to solidify his statistical case for the Hall. Nonetheless, his suit ushered a massive redistribution of power and revenue between owners and players.
Flood was also part of the first wave of black integration into the Major Leagues, beginning his career in 1956. Flood's contributions to black history make his candidacy especially poignant as Black History Month comes to a close.
Gerrit Cole, who leveraged free agency to sign a recordbreaking $324 million deal with the Yankees, praised Flood at his introductory press conference.
“Challenging the reserve clause was one of the first stepping stones to ultimately the system we have today, which I believe brings out the most competitive, you know, genuine competitiveness, that we have in baseball,” said Cole. “The best stories are always told because there's competitiveness and Curt was instrumental in getting the ball rolling.”
Though Flood died in 1997, his labor fight began with the 1970 holdout, making 2020 the 50th anniversary of his protest. If he's included, he'll join former MLBPA chief Marvin Miller, who was also elected this season.