Argued on March 20, 1972, and decided on June 19, 1972, the case Flood v. Kuhn pitted Black St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curtis C. Flood against the commissioner of baseball, Bowie K. Kuhn, in a decision about the status of the reserve system then in place in professional baseball. The reserve system bound players to continue playing for their current teams even after their contracts expired. It effectively prevented baseball players from participating in decisions about what teams they could play for, putting all power in the hands of baseball club owners.