LETTER: Baseball, Curt Flood and today’s Democrats
On Christmas, the Review-Journal Sports section made note in its “Sports Shorts” column of the 50th anniversary of Curt Flood’s challenge to Major League Baseball’s reserve clause. This turned out to be a cosmic change in sports labor law as well as labor law in general. Historic in scope. But at the time, Mr. Flood was out there on his own. He was besieged by the media looking for an answer to one question: Why?
Mr. Flood was a baseball star. A World Series champion. He had money, fame, the adoration of his fans and the respect of his peers. So why make the challenge when it would probably end his career, which it did. Why?
Mr. Flood’s response was a statement that stands as one of the greatest quotes of the 20th century. He said, “Because a comfortable slave is still a slave.”
It was true then, and it’s true today for so many people who think there is no price to be paid for all the freebies politicians are offering with their iron fist wrapped in velvet glove policies.
