A Well-Paid Slave

Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports

By: Brad Snyder

Narrated by: Nnamdi Asomugha

After the 1969 season, the St. Louis Cardinals traded their star center fielder, Curt Flood, to the Philadelphia Phillies, setting off a chain of events that would change professional sports forever. At the time there were no free agents, no no-trade clauses. When a player was traded, he had to report to his new team or retire.

Unwilling to leave St. Louis and influenced by the civil rights movement, Flood chose to sue Major League Baseball for his freedom. His case reached the Supreme Court, where Flood ultimately lost. But by challenging the system, he created an atmosphere in which, just three years later, free agency became a reality.

Flood’s decision cost him his career, but as this dramatic chronicle makes clear, his influence on sports history puts him in a league with Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali.

Cover Photo: © The Sporting News/ZUMA Press

©2006 Brad Snyder (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

Great story of a great legend

Great story about one of the most significant athletes of all time, yet one often forgotten. Snyder's work is significant in tracing the origins of free agency, contracts, and salaries in today's sports world. Recommended for all baseball fans who need a deeper understanding of the business of the game: from players being owned by clubs to becoming billionaires.

Almost perfect

 The book is great. I learned a lot of things that I never knew about what happened to Mr. Flood’s lawsuit.
The narrator is almost perfect. Here are a few hints:
Bavasi (pronounced Bu-vay-zee)
Meggyesy (pronounced Mega-see)
Montanez (pronounced Monta-nyez)