Black Sox scandal: what caused the players to participate? essay sample

 

The defeat of Chicago White Sox to the Cincinnati Reds in October 1919, became the nationwide scandal and a marred page in the history of baseball. We know already that there was a fix between the White Sox and a group of gamblers who paid them to lose the game. However, historians do not agree on how this “Big Fix” played out. It was common for gamblers to search for insiders information, but wrecking World Series was too big insolence even for them. Nevertheless, gamblers still approached the all-favored team having offered them about $100,000 for a fix.

 

The rumors about the fix spread soon after the White Sox defeated in the championship. Sportswriters were the first to suspect the bribe, while the team owner, Charles Comiskey, shrug off the claims. In a year, one more game was rigged between the Cubs and the Phillies. A grand jury started an investigation, and one of the gamblers publicly confessed his involvement in the fix. The “Black Sox” were accused of conspiracy by the court. However, all records that contain their confessions and trial materials have mysteriously vanished leaving the court with nothing. In 1921, the Black Sox were officially found not guilty of the incident.