Join us on Wednesday, October 12, when Professor Brad Snyder will present, “50 Years after Flood v. Kuhn.” After the 1969 season, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Curt Flood, their star center fielder, to the Philadelphia Phillies. When a player was traded, he had two options – to report to his new team or retire. (At the time there were no free agents and no no-trade clauses.) Unwilling to leave St. Louis and influenced by the civil rights movement, Flood instead sued Major League Baseball for his freedom. His case reached the Supreme Court, where Flood ultimately lost. 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 dramatically changed baseball.

Professor Snyder published A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood’s Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports in 2007. He teaches constitutional law, constitutional history, and sports law at Georgetown University Law School. He is the author of the recently published book, Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Establishment.  

Professor Snyder is part of a half-day seminar. The day begins with David L. Crane, the founder and curator of Making the Movement: Civil Rights Museum. Making the Movement is an exhibit that explores the use of non-violent weapons to combat Jim Crow. He is a history instructor at Alamance Community College in North Carolina and is the author of Making the Movement: How Activists Fought for Civil Rights with Buttons, Flyers, Pins, and Posters.

The final presentation of the day will feature Jonathan Dandes speaking on antitrust issues in baseball. Mr. Dandes currently serves as Corporate Vice-President of Rich Products Corporation, having joined Rich Products in 1986. He has served in several roles within Rich’s, most recently as President of Rich Baseball Operations.

This program is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged through the form below. If you plan to attend virtually, please put that in the comment section below and we will share the link with you. If you are an attorney seeking CLE credits, in-person attendance is required. CLE credits are not available for virtual attendance.

• 8:30 a.m. – Breakfast/Registration opens
  
• 9:10 a.m. – David L. Crane, “Making the Movement.” A virtual panel discussion with Greg Peterson, Of Counsel, Phillips Lytle LLP
• 10:10 a.m. – Break
• 10:30 a.m. – Professor Brad Snyder presents “50 Years After Flood v. Kuhn“
• 12:10 p.m. – Lunch
• 12:20 p.m. – Jonathan Dandes, “Baseball & Antitrust,” a conversation with Greg Peterson, Of Counsel, Phillips Lytle LLP