When St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood decided to sue Major League Baseball in 1970 for the right to become a free agent, he did so knowing that would likely be career suicide.
“I told [Flood] that given the courts’ history of bias towards the owners and their monopoly, he didn’t have a chance in hell of winning,” recalled Marvin Miller, the founder and former executive director of the Players Association.” More important than that, I told him even if he won, he’d never get anything out of it—he’d never get a job in baseball again.”
According to The Atlantic, Flood asked Miller if his lawsuit would benefit other players in spite of the damage it would do to his career. When he was told that it would, he replied, “That’s good enough for me.”
Flood only played one more season in the Major Leagues (1971) after filing the lawsuit that would ultimately change players’ rights in professional sports forever. However, the impact of his courageous decision is still felt today. Just ask Albert Pujols ($26M), Russell Wilson ($21.9M) or Stephen Curry ($34.7M) if they have benefitted from the free agency system that Flood’s fight created.
As the NFL season approaches, a big question on everybody’s mind is whether former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick will land a job. Among rational individuals, there is little doubt that Kaepernick possesses the skill and ability to deserve an NFL roster spot, but like Flood, he is being punished by league owners and executives for rocking the boat.
Just like the fight for free agency went on after Flood was ushered out the game (Despite Flood’s lawsuit, free agency wasn’t realized in the MLB until 1976), professional athletes protesting the national anthem and speaking out against racial injustice and inequality will continue. Even if Kaepernick never squeezes his epic, blacktivist ‘fro into another football helmet, the torch has already been lit.
Players are not here for the days of “shut up and play” anymore.
This week, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, released a letter accusing police officers in Las Vegas of using excessive force against him.
According to Bennett, as he headed back to his hotel following the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, he heard gunshots. As he, and everyone nearby, scrambled to find safety, he was singled out by police as a threat.
“A police officer ordered me to get on the ground,” Bennett’s statement reads. “As I laid on the ground, complying with his commands to not move, he placed his gun near my head and warned me that if I moved he would ‘blow my [expletive] head off… A second officer came over and forcefully jammed his knee into my back making it difficult for me to breathe.”
Bennett’s story is all-too-familiar. In his statement, he invoked the names of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Charleena Lyles. Fortunately for Bennett, he escaped the situation alive.
Though his status as a millionaire athlete didn’t prevent him from suffering from abusive conduct by the officers, it may have helped to diffuse the situation. Once the officers verified his identity, you know, millionaire NFL hero, Bennett was released without any charges.
Even before the incident, Bennett was one of Kaepernick’s first outspoken supporters. In August, Bennett pledged to protest the national anthem for the entire 2017 season to make a stand for equality. He has called for other high-profile players to speak out against injustice.
“I think the biggest problem in the NFL is that we have to be able to get the biggest people involved in the issues,” Bennett told The Undefeated. “Every day a white quarterback throws the ball to a black receiver, but when it comes to Black Lives Matter issues, they won’t step up and be like, ‘There is an issue.’ Could you imagine if Tom Brady was to say what happened to Philando Castile was a tragedy? How would that change America if Aaron Rodgers was to say, ‘Black lives do matter’?”
White players such as Chris Long, Justin Britt, Derek Carr and Seth DeValve have shown support for the national anthem protests and the fight against injustice. According to Sports Illustrated, more than 30 individual players have been involved in some type of demonstration during the anthem during this preseason.
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and recently retired NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin released a video Wednesday morning, explaining the motivations behind the national anthem demonstrations.
“One of the many things that make our country great is that it was founded on the idea of justice for all,” Boldin said. “And we feel that it’s our responsibility to take a stand against the injustices that we see happening in America right now.”
“This season, I’ll be raising my fist to take a stand for racial equality and a much needed reform to our criminal justice system,” Jenkins added.
Jenkins and Boldin named specific issues they are focused on tackling, including putting an end to the money-bail system, an effort to seal non-violent misdemeanor records after 10 years and police accountability.
Though having only 30+ players speak out in a league of nearly 1,700 may seem like a drop in the bucket, it’s significantly more than the handful who spoke up last season. I’ve previously discussed the outspoken efforts of NBA players. A few players in baseball, tennis and even hockey have also come out from the shadows.
Expecting a professional athlete to “shut up and play” is just as outrageous as telling the guy fixing your sink to “shut up and stick to plumbing” when he asks you about the Cardinals. It’s as absurd as telling your doctor to “shut up and stick to medicine” when she asks about the weather.
Surely a few players and owners told Flood to “stick to baseball” when he challenged his trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies way back in 1969. He didn’t listen and professional athletes (and their sports) are in a much better place because of it.
Down the road, maybe our society will be in a much better place because Kaepernick, Bennett, Jenkins and other players chose to take a public stand against injustice – despite the backlash and potential personal repercussions.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
