Philip Frank IB History 2/5/18 The 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Reds had a chance to show who would be crowned baseball champions of 1919. The White Sox had one of the greatest hitters of all time on their team that year, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Throughout the games, rumors had been going around that eight men on the Sox were purposely losing due to a connection with gamblers, one including Jackson. Jackson was said to have asked his general manager at the time to bench him to get rid of any confusion involving him and the gambling. Although for Jackson, the manager refused and he was forced to play. Sadly, later on in the series, these rumors revealed their truths, when players became furious at the gamblers for not receiving their money after each loss. The eight men tried to drop the fix but couldn’t after the gamblers began to threaten the players and their families. One by one, players began to confess that they were in fact gambling. By 1921, the commissioner, Kenesaw Landis, banned all eight men from organized baseball. (Andrews). This became known as the “Black Sox Scandal” for which arguments between historians still live and go on today. …show more content…
Whether it’s about the series as a whole or Jackson’s involvement in the gambling. One historian, William Cook, argues in his book, “the Cincinnati Reds won the 1919 World Series and would have won anyway if it was played – fair, fixed, tainted or otherwise.” Throughout, he mentions how the Reds team was very good that year and got lost in a “historical abyss,” because of all the controversy surrounding the White Sox. (Cook). Another interesting argument, however, is more focused on Joe Jackson instead of the series or teams as a whole. Many different historians argue his involvement in the gambling, and whether or not he should be banned from organized baseball and the Hall of