How Did The Black Sox Scandal Affect Baseball's Legacy

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd—baseball represents unity and competition. It used to be known as one of America’s favorite sports. However, at the 1919 World Series there was a scandal that would forever change the way people thought of the game. The 1919 World Series, also known as the Black Sox Scandal, remains a controversial topic, sparking debate about its impact on baseball’s legacy. An examination of the evidence, however, indicates that the events of the Black Sox Scandal represented athleticism that forever altered people’s view of America’s favorite sport. As shown by the infamous Black Sox Scandal, the 1919 World Series was corrupted in itself. Talented members of that White Sox club conspired with professional gamblers

Arnold “Chick” Gandil and gambler Joseph “Sport” Sullivan met to discuss the possibility of Sox players deliberately tanking in the championship (Andrews). Gamblers have been bribing underpaid ballplayers since as early as 1865, but it was always only for inside tips. That’s why the Black Sox scandal was so surprising, it was rare and even unseen for them to try to rig something as big as the World Series. Gandil was worried that the scheme wouldn’t even work, but later agreed to work with the gamblers for a payout of around $100,000. However, he couldn’t do this alone. He soon enlisted White Sox pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams, shortstop Charles “Swede” Risberg and outfielder Oscar “Happy” Felsch into the scheme (Andrews). He had also recruited other players and while some of them had stayed, a few had pulled out of the deal. Several bookies had the White Sox winning the World Series over the

After Game 5, the Reds led the series 4-1. The Black Sox hadn't received some of their promised money from gamblers and attempted to double cross them by winning Game 6 and 7 (Pinak). By Game 8, the Black Sox were threatened, leading them to lose. The Reds went on to win the World Series 5-3, and eight Sox players were banned from baseball permanently. The fallout of the Black Sox scandal changed the way Americans looked at baseball. They had worried about the legitimacy of the game throughout all the years it had been played. The sport's reputation was damaged and the future of the game in jeopardy (Pinak). Nobody trusted the players or the management of any sports team due to excessive gambling. Yet, not only did it affect the way Americans viewed baseball, it affected several other aspects of their lives. Occurring as it did in a moment of dizzying social change in America, it jolted the nation’s idea of itself (Stein). Everyone viewed this event as the ultimate “betrayal”. They didn’t want to believe it, but fans were so upset. Thus, attendance at games decreased as their confidence in the sport decreased. Baseball is now viewed as nothing more than corruption and