Episode #12, Part 1 (2/4/15): Robert F. Burk

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During Marvin Miller’s tenure as the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, average player salary increased from $19,000 to over $240,000. Today, this union is acknowledged as one of the strongest labor organizations in the United States.

Simply put, Miller changed baseball and the business of sports. That point is emphasized further by author Robert F. Burk in his new book, “Marvin Miller, Baseball Revolutionary.”

In Part 1 of our two-part interview, Burke discusses Miller’s life in the labor movement prior to involvement in baseball, his early years as the head of MLB’s players union, and the relationship he had with long-time commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

Photo courtesy of snipview.com

Audio clips courtesy of ‘Baseball: Inning 8’ by Ken Burns