Jackie Robinson And Curt Flood - 1237 Words

Americans love sports. Sports infiltrate culture, music, film, and even history courses in the United States. Even with this immense popularity surrounding a variety of sports in this country, one stands out as the most â€Å"American.† Baseball has long been regarded as America’s national pastime and it remains the single sport which mirrors society and pushes it forward more than any other. Football and basketball have risen to great prominence within the United States, but they cannot match baseball for its history, its diversity, and its growth with the nation from coast to coast. Baseball also offers heroism and an everyday working class style that are not present in any other sport. In a nation with many athletic pastimes, baseball†¦show more content†¦Baseball even played a key role in the recent reopening of relations with Cuba including an exhibition game attended by Barack Obama. Not only is baseball an American game; as America changes baseball goes with it. Baseball as a business is more American than any other major professional sport. America faced strong monopoly power in steel, oil, and tobacco in the early 20th century. Major League Baseball was also able to act as a monopoly after its adoption of (American League) and triumph over (Federal League) insurgent leagues. (Davies 98, 106) Trusts overpowered and dismantled their competitors; baseball overpowered its players. This was accomplished through baseball’s reserve clause which forced players to remain with their current teams, be traded, or leave the game entirely. The Declaration of Independence has stuck with Americans since it was written in the 18th century and it outlines many persistent American values. One is that it is the right of oppressed citizens to rise up against a tyrannical government. In terms of baseball, the reserve clause was oppressive on the players and Curt Flood was the citizen who rose up against it. Thurgood Marshall wrote, â€Å"When our errors deny federal rights, like the right to compete freely and effectively to the best of one’s ability as guaranteed by the antitrust laws, we must admit our error and correct it† (Riess 413). A capitalist view of the American economy agrees with Marshall that the labor marketShow MoreRelatedHistory and Importance of Baseball in the US Essay1763 Words   |  8 Pagesballpark in 1916. When someone hears Fenway Park his/her mind drifts to thoughts of the green monster and the lone red chair. He/she thinks of all of the great players and all of the great events that have taken place at Fenway. Visions of Ted Williams, Curt Schilling, even the current player David Ortiz, â€Å"Big Papi,† whose name, in my opinion, will one day carry the same magnitude as any of those other aforementioned players’ cycle through the heads of old men and women and bring back memories of a differentRead MoreThe World Of Baseball Player For The St. Louis Cardinals Essay2186 Words   |  9 PagesCurt Flood was an All-Star baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals that did not want to be traded against his wishes to the Philadelphia Phillies. This decision to publicly come out and make this particular statement ultimately started a battle for player liberty and benefits in baseball. This paper will be diving into the ideals and ramifications behind his choice to dispute the sport of baseball, the context of American society around the time of the issue and its relationship, the main eventsRead MoreEssie Mae Fights for the Rights of the African Americans985 Words   |  4 Pagesmother. Anne’s mother would write to her telling her to stop attending meetings or their family might get attack by the community. â€Å"NAACP held its annual convention in Jackson. They were having a whole lot of interesting speakers: Jackie Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Curt Flood, Margarette Belafonte, and many others.† (Pg. 283) Anne was planning on going to thi s event but she received a letter from her mother a couple days before telling her not to go. She talked about the last time that Anne visited and