The Black Sox Scandal - Research Paper Example

The Black Sox Scandal The Black Sox scandal is dubbed the greatest scandal in American sports history. It refers to the match fixing by some players of the Chicago White Sox during the 1919 World Series. The White Sox who were heavily favored to win the series were upset five games to three by the Cincinnati Reds.1 Eight players were indicted the following year for their involvement in throwing the series for monetary gain. Overview By the time, the 1919 regular season was coming to an end, the Chicago White Sox team was displaying magnificent baseball beyond what baseball fans expected of them. They had 88 wins and 52 losses for that year. This was far much better performance than the previous year. Charles Comiskey, the owner of the team, had invested heavily into the team to build a formidable squad that he hoped would dominate the game in the future. It took him only two seasons to attain his goal, and his club won the 1917 World Series.2 The team went on to dominate the league past the 1917 season. This dominance was to be tested in 1919 when the Chicago White Sox was to play debutants Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. When America joined the First World War, the 1918 season was shortened as many players went overseas to fight. The remaining players went to work in steel mills to avoid the draft. At the end of the war in November, the same year, Comiskey got back to rebuilding his team. He recruited new players to boost his team. At the end of recruitment, he had assembled a very strong team. Though he had the money to recruit good players, Comiskey was a tightwad when it came to remunerating his players.3 The players often complained of the low pay, but Comiskey ignored them. He paid players of the same caliber different salaries leading to disputes among the players. Most of his players did not have money, and the discrimination made some feel exploited. Comiskey was a darling of the media and often spent a lot of money hosting the media at luncheons with expensive food and wine. On the other side, he was not willing to pay his players better salaries. Despite this, the players continued to perform well on the pitch. The squad of great players like Cicotte, Williams, Jackson and Weaver seemed poised to win the World Series. The Cincinnati Reds were underdogs then, as it was their first National League pennant. Opinion was in favor of the Chicago whites. Odds makers predicted that the win would go to the Chicago White Sox.4 It was almost popular belief that the matches would just be a formality. No one thought that the White Sox would lose, but they lost right from the first game. The loss was intentional, as it was orchestrated by the players who were recruited to fix the matches. This first loss sent a message to the match fixers that the deal was on. A loss on the second game raised some eyebrows. The mode of play by the star players became highly questionable. William Gleason who coached the team all season suspected something was wrong right from the first match and took up the issue with Comiskey. The issue was forwarded to the League president who ignored matter.5 With the match fixers sticking to their deal, the Cincinnati Reds did not have a hard time in the field. The Cincinnati Reds became the eventual winners of the 1919 World Series. The Fix The exact details about what transpired in the period prior to the World Series are difficult to comprehend. The explanation on how the scheme was executed was pieced together using the details that were given by some of the conspirators. The general idea was that the players who agreed to participate in the fixing were promised payment totaling to $100,000 over the period that the games were to take place. The group was led by Gandil who was approached by Sullivan about fixing the matches.6 It comprised of players who were lowly paid. Gandil was getting ready to retire and wanted to go out with a good ‘retirement package’. He recruited his co-conspirators while Sullivan sourced money to pay them for the fix. The eventual financer to the fix was Arnold Rothstein, a businessman and high stake gambler. In order for the gamblers to avail the $100,000, Gandil had to ensure he recruited the right players to go along with the fix. The players recruited had to be those that contributed highly to the team wins. It was not very difficult for Gandil to do so given that the best pitchers in the team were in his group (low income earners). Two pitchers, Williams and Ciccotte, were recruited. They were the best that season having won a total of fifty two games combined. Ciccote had a grudge with Comiskey, and he easily took the chance to get even. He was paid $10,000 upfront before agreeing to participate.7 This money was to cover a payment that Comisky refused to pay him over an arrangement they had made. Other players who participated in the fix include Jackson, Weaver, Swede, Felsch and McMullin. The eight men were bought to lose the first three games. After the first loss, some players went to claim their payment but were told that money was out in bets. Though disappointed, the men stuck to the plan and lost the second game. They went to seek payment once again, but they were paid only part of the money.8 This made so of the players to be frustrated. It is at this point that some players shied away from the deal. The White Sox won the sixth and seventh games. However, some of the players who had initially agreed to participate in the series were threatened by the engineers of the fix and the team lost the eighth game. This sparked off a lot of rumors that would unravel a series of interesting events. Corruption Corruption in sports particularly baseball was not a new thing. Since the end of the civil war, gambling and match fixing was a serious problem in baseball. The orchestrators of the match fixing were keen on new teams that joined the League. The poor pay given to players compounded the situation as players sought other ways to make extra money. Gambling often came top on the list. Players were often recruited by gamblers to fix matches for them at a fee. The money earned was often several times more than what they earned while playing. Although there were rules that prohibited gambling in baseball, the laws were not enforced hence encouraging the practice to continue. The participation of America in world war one solidified the stronghold that gamblers had established in baseball. When race tracks were shut down by the government during the world war, the gamblers shifted to baseball.9 Towards the end of the 1919 World Series, many baseball enthusiasts started doubting the unfolding of matches between the two teams. The outcomes of matches were unbelievable to many fans. The state of play of the White Sox team became a major topic of discussion by baseball fans. Rumors started to spread regarding the possibility of match fixing.10 The rumors did not die down. In fact, it got worse. Media personalities were next in line to pick up the stories. It was reported that key players on the White Sox team were making far too many mistakes than the norm. This sparked up a lot of discussions and even newspapers picked up on the rumors. Publications were made on the allegations. This made the issue gain a lot of weight. It did not take long for the scandal to come to light. Investigations A grand jury was formed in September 1920 to investigate the allegations of rampant corruption and gambling in professional baseball. The initial investigations were not focused on the Chicago White Sox. It was during the investigation that it was discovered that players from the White Sox were involved in match fixing. By mid September, the investigation began focusing on the 1919 World Series.11 The Chicago White Sox’s play in that season was put under scrutiny. On the 28th of September, the jury indicted eight players of the White Sox team.12 They were charged with conspiracy to defraud the public and cause harm to the American League and the business of Charles Comiskey. Those charged were Eddie Cicotte, George Weaver, Chick Gandil, Joe Jackson, Claude Williams, Fred McMullin and Oscar Felsch. The revelation of match fixing in the World Series was a shocker to most Americans. Though people were aware that gambling was rampant in the US, nobody expected it to infiltrate the World Series. It was widely and wrongly assumed that such activities could not find their way into the World Series. The role of Charles Comiskey in the scandal Charles Comiskey was the president and owner of the White Sox. He was a former player who had maneuvered his way to become owner of one of the best baseball clubs of the time. As the owner of the club, Comiskey was blamed a lot for the 1919 black sox scandal. Baseball historians attribute his poor treatment of the players is what led Gandil and the other players to seek alternative ways to earn more income.13 Comiskey was a tightward whose frequent failed promises continued to frustrate the players day by day. This made the players easily susceptible to gamblers who offered money to the players to fix matches. For instance, he promised to pay the team a bonus if they won the 1917 pennant. When they won, they only received a case of cheap champagne.14 This was an insult to the players who had expected cash as a reward. It was also highly demoralizing to them considering they were motivated to put their best by the promise of a bonus. When the attendance of baseball games dropped in 1918 due to the world war, owners including Comiskey cut the salaries of players. When attendance went up again, Comiskey refused to raise the salaries back to the original level.15 When it came to dressing and equipment, the White sox uniform was the filthiest in the league. This was because Comiskey regulated the number of times the clothes were taken for laundry. The story goes that he insisted the players should pay for their laundry. The players refused to do so and played in dirty clothes till they turned took on a dark shade. Comiskey them took the clothes for laundry and deducted the laundry fee from salaries of the players. Considering that the players earned very little income, this was highly frustrating for them. 16 Though he had the best players in the league, he paid them much less that what other players with similar level of skill earned. The 1919 White Sox team was also split into two groups. One group was led by Eddie Collins, a graduate of Colombia University. The second group made up of the less learned was led by Chick Gandil. The two groups did not get along well. Collins was able to negotiate better contracts for members of his group. The second group was not able to negotiate for better pay. 17This difference in income made this group an easy target for gamblers. The reserve clause meant that players could do nothing about their grievances. This clause stated that a player who refused a contract could not get another contract in any other team in the league. This meant that a player had to accept what the team offered him or else seek another line of employment. Comiskey exploited this clause to pay poor salaries to his players. When rumours about the fix spread, Comiskey announced a reward of $20,000 to go to any person that would give information on the fix. People came forward with information, but none of them was paid as promised.18 This behavior was typical of Comiskey. Comiskey promised to pay pitcher Eddie Cicottie $10,000 in bonus if he won thirty games. After winning twenty nine games, he was benched by Comiskey for the thirtieth game. Comiskey claimed that he wanted Cicottie to rest up for the pennant games. He refused to pay Cicottie the bonus since he had won only twenty nine games. Cicottie carried a serious grudge with Comiskey that before agreeing to the fix, he requested to be paid $10,000 upfront to cover up for the money Comiskey had refused to pay him.19 Gamblers Gamblers were a common sight in ballparks. Game fixing was suspected since the mid 1850s, and it was rumored that players supplemented their incomes by throwing games. Some ball players had reputations of working closely with gamblers to coordinate match fixes.20 Although gambling existed in baseball way before indictment of the eight, the number of gamblers at the ballparks increased exponentially in 1919. The gamblers offered a lot of money often several times what a player made as salary and many players found it hard to refuse. Even to this day, gambling is still practiced in baseball. Players are often tempted with rewards which they are unable to refuse. The addictive nature of gambling makes it hard for persons to desist from it once they start engaging in it. In the 1986 drug scandal that affected the major leagues, Pete Rose was banned from baseball after it was found out that he bet against his own team.21 The Chicago Black Sox scandal was the first to openly show America that greed and deception could infiltrate even the most unlikely of places. Arnold Rothstein Though he was never formally charged, Arnold Rothstein was the man who financed the game fixing. Born in 1882, in New York, Rothstein’s involvement in gambling started at an early age. He did not do well in school, and he dropped out. He worked at a clothing factory and later as a travelling salesman. He began gambling at the age of twenty. In 1914, he ventured into bookmarking. He operated a discount house and made a huge fortune out of it. He once stated that he could bet on anything but the weather since it was the only thing that he could not fix.22 During the 1919 World Series scandal, he acted as the financial broker. He was keen to keep involvement a secret only known by a few and he operated behind the scenes. He was approached be two different groups each wanting him to fund the fix. He decided to partner with Joseph Sullivan who had a proven reputation in gambling circles. It is believed that he gained over $270,000 from the scheme. During the trial, he denied any involvement with the White Sox scandal. He was exonerated of any wrongdoing due to lack of evidence. FBI investigations conducted after his death discovered records that showed payments of $53,000 made to Sullivan’s attorney. The payments were made so as to acquire four affidavits signed by Sullivan and other Gamblers which named Rothstein as the person behind the White Sox fix. 23 Why the issue is complex The complexity of the issue can be looked at from the perspective of the cyclical theory. This theory suggests that history repeats itself. It suggests that no real progress ever takes place and that events occur and re-occur at different times. In relation to the Black Sox Scandal, the issue of betting and gambling is noted to have been in existence for quite a long time. Estimates claim that it began in the mid 1850s. This means that it is something that has been happening repeatedly. It is said that some players were known associates of gamblers. In 1986, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting against his own team.24 This case is quite similar to what happened to the eight involved in the Black Sox scandal in that in both cases the players were banned from professional baseball. One the other hand the reasons for suspension are different. In the Black Sox Scandal, the players were suspended because the engaged in game fixing for monetary benefit. In the 1986 case of Pete Rose, he was banned for betting against his own team. The salaries for players during the 1980s were quite high and, therefore, it cannot be said that Pete Rose bet for the money. This contradicts the cyclical theory about re-occurrence of history. The situation for players in the 1980s is different from that of the 1910s. Looking at this case from the historical linear theory, it is clear that the issue is complex. The linear theory proposes progress. The maxim advocated is that the world can be made better. In the gambling world, the situation seems to be the same, as it was many years back if not worse. People are still making money through bets. The issue of betting and match fixing in baseball dates back to the 1850s. It is still a serious problem to this day. This is in contradiction to the linear theory. If the linear theory held, it would mean that things should be better by now. The problem of match fixing should be not occur in this age and time. The Black Sox scandal has never been completely forgotten, and every now and then issues regarding the scandal emerge. Different historians interpret the information on the scandal in different ways often resulting in varying conclusions. The innocence of some players who were indicted is still subject to debate. There are still those who believe that great players should be honored accordingly. These are the people that still fight for the rights of those who have already passed on. The banned players were, in fact, found not guilty to the charges against them. While, in the case of Pete Rose, the court found him guilty of the charges brought against him, it is a different case for the Black Sox Scandal. All the banned players were found not to be guilty. Conclusion The Black Sox Scandal was about the poverty of the players and the greed of the owners. It was in no way caused by gambling. If fact, gambling was an outcome of the poverty of players. It has been stated that the owners of teams then did not pay their players well. The reverse clause that deterred players from refusing pay contracts was drafted by the baseball union whose members included some club owners. Observers believe that Comiskey’s stinginess was to blame for the scandal. They contend that if he had not underpaid them and treated them unfairly, none of them would agree to throw the series.25 It is also true that only players who were poorly remunerated participated in the fix. Not even a single player who was well paid got mentioned in the scandal. The gamblers did not approach the well paid players. It was poverty that motivated those who agreed to join the gamblers in their endeavors. The incentive for making the players participate in the fix was money. The fixers had to approach those who were poorly paid so as to succeed with their plan. The gamblers existed in all forms of competition and gained from betting on competitors. One cannot say authoritatively that it was due to gambling that the scandal occurred. The gamblers only exploited the poverty of the players for their own benefit. Due to the greediness of the owners who refused to pay the players well, some players often agreed to fix matches in order to earn more money. If Comiskey had sorted out the salary disputes among his players, Black Sox scandal would have been avoided. References Asinof, Elliot. Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1987. “Black Sox Scandal.” Baseballlibrary.com. Last modified December 9, 2011. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Black_Sox_Scandal&page=news “Chicago White Sox.” Jiffynotes.com. Last modified December 9, 2011. http://www.jiffynotes.com/a_study_guides/book_notes/nspf_01/nspf_01_00104.html “Chicago White Sox.” Chicago Historical Society. Last Modified December 9, 2011. http://www.chicagohs.org/history/blacksox.html Gustkey, Earl. "He Maintained Fix Was Never in for '19 Series." Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 1999. Gutman, Dan. Baseball Babylon: From the Black Sox to Pete Rose, the Real Stories behind The Scandals That Rocked the Game. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. Harris, Mike. “Black Sox Scandal.” Breakout Media. March 8, 2011. http://www.mademan.com/mm/black-sox-scandal.html Lagergren, Eric. "1919 Chicago White Sox." Encyclopedia.com. December 9, 2011. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407900104.html Lindberg, Richard. Stealing First in a Two-Team Town: The White Sox from Comiskey to Reinsdorf. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing, 1994. Linder, Douglas. “The Black Sox Trial: An Account.” Black Sox Trial. December 9, 2011. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/blacksox/blacksoxaccount.html Luhr, Victor. The Great Baseball Mystery: The 1919 World Series. South Brunswick, NY: A.S. Barnes and Co., 1966. Peterson, Traci. “The Black Sox Trial: Biographies of Key Figures.”Black Sox Trial. December 9, 2011. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/blacksox/biographies.html “The 1919 Chicago White Sox or Black Sox?” Squidoo. Last modified December 10,2011. http://www.squidoo.com/blacksox Read More