Black Sox Gambling Research Paper

With baseball beginning to take off after the war, and the many fans out there watching the famous pastime sport, unfortunately there is a bad side to it. What might this bad side be to the best sport to watch? Well, it’s gambling, betting on games was a very fun pastime for gamblers. During the 1919 season many people speculated that gambling was happening during the season, as well as the World Series. While much of the league was concerned about gambling, unfortunately the players weren’t. However, with one team being swayed during the World Series, it changed baseball and the trust the audience had in the game.

There were many players on the Black Sox roster that joined such as, Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams, Charles “Swede”

Even the owner of the Black Sox, Charles Comiskey was so worried about the influence gambling might have on game results that he posted sign in his stadium reading “No Betting Allowed In This Park” (Pellowski 34). “After opening-day loss in the 1919 World Series, Chicago manager Kid Gleason, as well as catcher Ray Schalk knew something was up” (Pellowski 55). As the incidents before stopped the fix. After they abandoned the deal they won two games and being back in the race (Andrews). “Rumors went around that the Reds had beat the best team in the league” (u-s-history.com). “The normal seven-game series was extended to a “first to five wins” format, owing to the unexpected spike in attendance following the war” (u-s-history.com). “The players would earn around $5,000 paycheck for winning series” (u-s-history.com). “In game eight the Reds won 10-5, giving Cincinnati their first ever World Series win” (Andrews). The Cincinnati Reds won the series, to win the World Series (Rollyson 84). “The outcome of baseball contests is not supposed to be predetermined” (Pellowski

With the Judge being the commissioner it could go either way for the banning of the players.“The allegations died down at the start of the 1920 season” (The Editors). Following up to that, the owner of the Black Sox (Charles Comiskey) had found out, he suspended seven players (The Editors). “As the 1920 season went on, an increasing number of players were caving to the gamblers” (u-s-history.com). With not much money involved in sports back then, they needed to make a living, so they resorted to gambling that year in September, the Chicago Cubs were accused of throwing games to the Philadelphia Phillies (u-s-history.com). Many stories were put out about teams throwing the games, such as the Boston Braves, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the New York Giants (u-s-history.com). “Landis decisions helped to clean up a sport that was near self-destruction, making the fans have more confidence in baseball and return to their state of nirvana” (u-s-history.com). Having a Judge as the baseball commissioner, he was basically the main person to go to with problems.“Several administrative changes in the early 1920’s had important effects on professional baseball” (Rollyson 84). After the storm passed the players began new lives, as well as the gamblers. The players could not go back to either the major leagues as well as the minor league