Take Me Out to the Courthouse · The Reserve Clause
The Center Fielder Who Said No
Flood v. Kuhn (1972)
Charge: Antitrust challenge to the reserve clause (suit against the commissioner and the leagues)Court: Supreme Court of the United StatesDocket: The Reserve Clause
Should the courts end baseball's exemption from the federal antitrust laws?
The facts
A veteran All-Star center fielder learned he had been traded to another city without his consent. He refused to report and asked the commissioner to declare him free to sign with any club, which was denied. He sat out a full season and sued, arguing the reserve system that bound players to one club forever violated federal antitrust law. Two earlier Supreme Court rulings had held that baseball was outside the antitrust laws, even though other pro sports were not.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Flood v. Kuhn, 407 U.S. 258 (1972)
Read more at law.cornell.edu. The source reveals the outcome.