1976 Major League Baseball Lockout
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The 1976 Major League Baseball lockout occurred from March 1 to March 17. The lockout was instituted after the expiration of the league's Basic Agreement. A primary issue addressed during lockout negotiations was the longstanding
reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into ano ...
and the players' desire to become
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s. The lockout did not result in any regular season games being canceled.


Background

Following the expiration of the league's Basic Agreement between the owners and the players, there were rumors of a potential lockout due to the inability of the two sides to negotiate a new deal in a timely manner. The
Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...
asked a caucus of team owners if a lockout would happen, but the group told union director
Marvin Miller Marvin Julian Miller (April 14, 1917 – November 27, 2012) was an American labor union leader and baseball executive who served as the first executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Miller l ...
that it "wasn't their decision to make."
Commissioner of Baseball The commissioner of baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as " organized baseball". Under the direction of the commiss ...
Bowie Kuhn Bowie Kent Kuhn (; October 28, 1926 – March 15, 2007) was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969, to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for M ...
stated in a meeting with the league's 24 owners that because there was no agreement in place between the owners and players, dates and times for the upcoming
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
had not been set. On January 15, 1976, Miller met with the Owners-Players Relations Committee for three hours to discuss issues in an attempt to work towards a deal before a potential lockout. The league's pension plan was discussed and Miller advocated for spring training games not to be cancelled in any circumstance. No deal was met at that meeting. One of the largest issues looming over negotiations was the prospect of
free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. Baseball's longstanding
reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into ano ...
began to fall into question as players sought to have more freedom in where they played. The first instance of the reserve clause being challenged was the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
case '' Flood v. Kuhn'' where
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...
er
Curt Flood Curtis Charles Flood Sr. (January 18, 1938 – January 20, 1997) was an American professional baseball center fielder and activist. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washin ...
refused to be traded to the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
in 1969. The court ultimately ruled against Flood in 1972, but comments made by the justices on the case were used to later nullify the reserve clause in the December 1975
Seitz decision The Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz (1905–1983) on December 23, 1975, which declared that Major League Baseball (MLB) players became free agents upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifyi ...
, effectively creating free agency in baseball. With the possibility of a lockout less than a month after the decision, free agency rules and guidelines became a key issue to be negotiated between the owners and players. Tensions rose as the two sides could not agree to come to a new deal. Marvin Miller claimed that a refusal by the league's team owners to open spring training camps to the players would be a violation of their contracts, thus making them free agents, comparing it to the
Catfish Hunter James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999) was an American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From to , he was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Y ...
breach of contract scenario from 1974. The team owners were often blamed as the agitator in the dispute, receiving criticism from various sports media members. ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' writer
William Nack William Louis Nack (February 4, 1941 – April 13, 2018)ad nauseam ' is a Latin term for an argument or other discussion that has continued to the figurative point of nausea."a ...
'', to put it with charity, and contrived to emerge ironically as graceless, irrational fugitives running naked through the streets of perhaps the most graceful, rational of American games." Longtime sportswriter Red Smith called the owners' actions "childish" in his column for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.


Lockout

The lockout was initiated by the owners on March 1, 1976. The lockout was not total as
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
owner
Bill Veeck William Louis Veeck Jr. ( ; February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt Bill" and "Wild Bill" was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indian ...
opened spring training camp to some of his players. MLB and the MLBPA met for five hours on March 2 in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
to discuss the reserve clause amongst other issues, but little progress was reportedly made. MLB offered that players must have eight years of service time before being eligible for an option year in their contract, a proposal that union director Marvin Miller deemed "unacceptable."
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
president
Lee MacPhail Leland Stanford MacPhail Jr. (October 25, 1917 – November 8, 2012) was an American front-office executive in Major League Baseball. MacPhail was a baseball executive for 45 years, serving as the director of player personnel for the New York Y ...
rebutted by saying that Miller was "making a mountain out of a molehill." Early in the lockout, there was alleged indication that the ownership group was backing down. On March 2, the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
opened spring training camp to a handful of non-roster players, and several other teams reportedly told their players to get ready for spring training. The two sides met again on March 3 in
Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...
for two and a half hours. The players argued that they should be able to have an option year after one year of service, colloquially dubbed the "one-one rule." The owners argued that they could not allow the Seitz decision that granted
Andy Messersmith John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith (born August 6, 1945) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the California Angels (1968–72), Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–75 and 1979) ...
and
Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dyn ...
free agency become the norm. The owners made a revised proposal that would allow players to seek free agency after six years of service time, but Marvin Miller said that MLB was not willing to hear out the MLBPA's counter-proposal. More owners began to ease their lockout stance;
Jim Kaat James Lee Kaat (; born November 7, 1938), nicknamed "Kitty", is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. A left-handed pitcher, he played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnes ...
and
Steve Carlton Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...
were among 22 Phillies players at spring training camp by March 4. MLB and the MLBPA conducted another meeting on March 5 in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The meeting lasted for one hour and was abruptly ended in a reportedly negative fashion. The reserve clause was once again discussed but no notable concessions were made. Marvin Miller conducted an MLBPA press conference March 6 to address the meeting, stating that the dealings were professional but not progressive. He announced that the MLBPA was setting April 25 as a deadline for negotiations to conclude, threatening that they would argue breach of contract otherwise and seek to grant players free agency. MLB released a statement, claiming that the players were obligated to comply in the creation of a new reserve system. Following the March 5 meeting, no further meetings were scheduled but the two sides stayed in contact through the phone. Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn, who largely separated himself from the dispute between MLB owners and the MLBPA, began to receive calls to alleviate the problem before regular-season games were cancelled. As commissioner, Kuhn held the power to open up the spring training camps and effectively end the lockout. By March 9, strife developed between MLBPA director Marvin Miller and several players. Some players began to call for Miller to ease up in negotiations and give more credence to the owners' stances.
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
superstars
Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...
and
Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...
claimed that Miller was not listening to the players. Bench joined
Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cin ...
and
Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre Jr. (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball Senior management, executive and former player, Manager (baseball), manager, and television color commentator. He has served as a special assistant to the Commiss ...
in a trio advocating for a quick resolution so that play could resume.
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
pitcher
Woodie Fryman Woodrow Thompson Fryman (April 12, 1940 – February 4, 2011) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, across 18 seasons (–). A two-time National League (NL) All-Star, he helped the ...
said that he did not care which way the negotiations swung, just that he wanted to play. MLB and the MLBPA met again on March 9 in New York City to no avail. The meeting reportedly featured "raised voices" and
obscenities An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...
coupled with no progress towards a deal. Miller alleged that MLB was misleading the players on the status of the negotiations. Despite the hostile nature of the meeting, the sides agreed to meet again in Florida on March 11 and 12. On March 10 in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, MLB met with a contingent of roughly 50 players for two and a half hours to discuss the situation. Johnny Bench, who was among the group of players in the meeting, shared a sense of pessimism, as did MLBPA director Marvin Miller. Bench noted that many players were training on high school and collegiate fields in Florida and paying their own housing fees because they did not have access to team facilities. The groups reconvened in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...
on March 11, meeting for two hours but leaving disappointed. A group of players decided to cancel the voluntary practices they were holding at
Eckerd College Eckerd College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront (area), waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega ...
as they believed practicing during the lockout could only stand to benefit the owners. On March 14, Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn announced that the regular season would occur and that the regular season would commence on the scheduled April 8 opening day. At the time, Kuhn stated that he had would open spring training once he saw considerable progress between MLB and the MLBPA. At a meeting, Marvin Miller made a new proposal that would institute a one-year test trial of the "one-one rule" so that the two camps could witness its cost-effectiveness and make a later decision. The meeting lasted into the night and negotiators were seen walking around the hotel premises and discussing, leading the media to believe an agreement was imminent. Another meeting was set for the morning of March 15. On March 16, the ownership group gave their final offer which included an acceptance of the players' much-desired one-one rule. AL President Lee MacPhail said that MLB "bit the bullet" on the rule and added that spring training camps would not be opened until the deal was accepted. MLBPA Director Marvin Miller described the offer as a sudden turnaround from previously hostile negotiations and said that the players would convene to discuss the following day. On March 17, Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn ordered that training camps be opened immediately, effectively ending the lockout. At the time, the MLBPA had not accepted or declined the owners' "best and final" offer. Miller stated that the MLBPA did not vote on the owners' proposal because it did not address issues that were important to the players' union.


See also

*
1976 Major League Baseball season The 1976 Major League Baseball season ended with the Cincinnati Reds winning their second consecutive World Series championship. This was the last season of the expansion era (dating back to 1961) until 1993 in which the American League (AL) an ...


References

{{USA pro sports labor relations Major League Baseball lockout, 1976 lockout lockout 1976