A look at the Black Sox scandal, which was the biggest sports gambling scandal of the early 1900s.

1. World Series Fixing
Nick Rigby
MS. Kline
1-24-18
1
Getty Images. (2013, July 20). 28 September
Chicago White Sox and 1919 World Series
https://www.gettyimages.com/event/sep-
chicago-white-sox-and-1919-world-series-fix-
52761366#frontpage-headline-of-the-new-
york-times-newspaper-describing-the-picture-
123rf. (2012, January 21) Baseball Mit, Bat and Glove on
Green Grass
https://www.123rf.com/photo_32915135_baseball-bat-
ball-and-glove-on-green-grass-background.html

2. An Unlikely Champion
On October 9, 1919, the Cincinnati Reds
defeated the very heavily favored (5-1
odds to win) Chicago White Sox 10-5 to
clinch one of the most unlikely World
Series victories in baseball history.
2
Historyrat.worldpress.com. (2004, March 10). The
Black Sox Scandal
http://historylocker.com/the-black-sox-scandal/

3. The Big Fix
“THE BLACK SOX SCANDAL was the sports crime of the 20th century. In a
complicated and poorly conceived and executed conspiracy, several prominent
Chicago White Sox ball players teamed up with gamblers to lose the 1919 World
Series to the Cincinnati Reds” (legalaffairs.org, 2004, p #1). There were
speculations of fixing before the series had even begun, because of the very
lopsided odds. According to many reports several key players on the White Sox
teamed up with gamblers to throw the 1919 best of 9 series to the Cincinnati Reds.
Fixing sporting events was not uncommon at this time, however, throwing the
World Series was unprecedented. 3

4. Who was Involved?
- “Shoeless” Joe Jackson- One of the better players of his era. The Black Sox Scandal ruined
Joe Jackson's reputation and banned him completely from baseball. Jackson’s specific role in
the scandal is still uncertain.
- Arnold Rothstein- The Mobster who was apparently in charge of setting up the deal for the
Black Sox to throw the World Series in return for 5 large payments of cash(1 after each loss).
- C. Arnold “Chick Gandil- Met with Joseph “Sport” Sullivan to discuss the details of a deal
that would have the Black Sox throw the 1919 World Series.
- Oscar “Happy” Felsch, Eddie Cicotte, Claude ¨Lefty¨ Williams, and Charles ¨Swede¨
Risberg- Players who played small roles in the scheme, and were intrigued by the extra money
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5. Who Was Involved? Ctn.
Buck Weaver- Third baseman who
was in on the plot at the beginning
but later pulled out.
Fred Mcmullin- Was cut in after he
overheard the conversation about
they payments the players were
going to receive. (sabr.org,2016)
All 8 players involved were banned
from baseball after the trial.
5
Wikiwand.com.
Black Sox Scandal
http://www.wikiw
and.com/en/Black
_Sox_Scandal

6. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson was the
biggest name involved in the Black
Sox Scandal. He was near the end of
a Hall of Fame caliber career when
the Black Sox Scandal came out. The
scandal tarnished Jackson’s
reputation, ended his career, and
probably cost him a spot in the Hall
of Fame.
6
shoelessjoejackson.org. (2017, October 15)
Joe’s Story
http://www.shoelessjoejackson.org/joes_story
.php

7. Why so Greedy?
Many people partially blame Charles Comiskey for the Black Sox Scandal.
Comiskey had a widespread reputation of underpaying his players even when
they were elite players on elite teams. Many of his players grew to despise
him for his frugality. Comiskey may not have been much worse than any
other owners of the time, however he had some of the better players in the
game and these players were not happy with the minimum pay.
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8. Why so Greedy? Ctn.
The only reason Comiskey was
able to keep his team together was
because of baseball’s reserve
clause. This prohibited any players
from switching teams without
permission from their team. It
would also ban any player from
the entire league if they declined a
contract.
8
slideshare.net. (2016, August 13) The
Reverse Clause in Baseball
https://www.slideshare.net/chasmarz/th
e-reserve-clause-and-employee-
noncompete-agreements-will-the-
infamous-relic-of-baseballs-past-make-
a-comeback-in-your-future-64968990

9. Baseball’s Loss of Innocence and The
Curse of the Black Sox
“ Baseball was America's pastime in the early 1900s and the Black Sox Scandal
sent anger throughout the nation”(theamericanscholar.org, 2011, P #1). After
the scandal professional baseball started to be seen as a corrupt business.
Attendance at games dropped and the league’s overall popularity fell off for a
few years.
- The curse of the Black Sox- A baseball superstition, cited as the reason
for the White Sox being unable to win a world series from 1919 to 2005.
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10. Citations Slide
Pomrenke, J. (n.d.). No 'Solid Front of Silence': The Forgotten Black Sox Scandal Interviews. Retrieved January 22,
2018,
from http://sabr.org/research/no-solid-front-silence-forgotten-black-sox-scandal-interviews
D. A., Nathan. (n.d.). The Big Fix. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from
http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/March-April-2004/review_nathan_marapr04.msp
Goetsch, D. (2014, April 16). Baseball's Loss of Innocence. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from
https://theamericanscholar.org/baseballs-loss-of-innocence/#
Andrews, E. (2014, October 09). The Black Sox Baseball Scandal, 95 Years Ago. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from
http://www.history.com/news/the-black-sox-baseball-scandal-95-years-ago
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