The most influential St. Louis Cardinal of all time

Welcome to the final piece in the recurring series highlighting the contributions of African Americans to the St. Louis Cardinals. It has been a rewarding experience to reach back for these stories. And, judging from the readership of this series, something the fanbase has enjoyed as well. Thanks for coming along on this journey.

Curt Flood was a tremendous baseball player

To end, we need to talk about Curt Flood. Make no mistake, this is a well-known name. He has been posthumously inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. His credentials as a player are top-notch. He was a 7-time Gold Glove centerfielder. He played in three All-Star games and finished with WAR totals in the 4’s and 5’s throughout his time in St. Louis. He’s a two-time world champion with the Cardinals. In short, he deserves to be in the Cardinals Hall of Fame – and should have his jersey retired. Full stop. We had an extended conversation about Curt Flood on the latest edition of Redbird Rundown if you’d like more information.

Curt Flood changed all pro sports forever

As much as his playing career was superb on the field, it was his contributions off the field that led Flood to be the most influential Cardinal of all time. I believe this statement is true in a world of Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Albert Pujols, and Yadier Molina. Flood pushed the bounds of the game as a black man in a turbulent time in US history. 

This challenge came in the form of pushback against the reserve clause. Flood was traded from St. Louis to Philadelphia in 1969 and did not want to leave St. Louis to go. Flood’s contract with St. Louis had expired, but under the reserve clause, the rights to players were retained by the team with which his contract expired. Flood pressed the most volatile button he could on the issue and likened the reserve clause to slavery. He wrote a letter to MLB commissioner Howie Kuhn asking to be considered a free agent since his contract had expired.

Kuhn denied this request which led to Flood’s case being brought before the US Supreme Court for resolution. Flood lost but the players’ union picked up the cause and the reserve clause was revoked in 1975. Fifty years later, we now take this for granted as a fundamental aspect of pro sports – free agency was born.

Consider the ramifications of this push. While each sport is different, after a period of a rookie contract, players in every professional sport are free to choose their own teams. This has opened championship windows and slammed others shut. But, most of all, it has placed the power in the hands of the talented men and women who are using their lives to entertain us. 

Are there drawbacks to free agency? Sure. But in the players versus owners debate, I almost always side with the players. The owners are an important part of the system. Their capital enables the system the players perform in, but, at least in my view, these men and women deserve the opportunity to make their own professional decisions.

Wherever you land on this debate, Curt Flood changed the entire foundation of professional sports. Every single free agency decision traces its power back to Curt Flood in some form or fashion. He’s not the greatest Cardinal ever, but due to his stand for his own career, Curt Flood is the most influential Cardinal ever.