1919 World Series: Rumors In Major League Baseball

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Rumors were spreading that the Chicago White Sox were going to throw the 1919 World Series game against the Cincinnati Reds before the series even started. Even though the White Sox were previously heavily favoured to win, they lost against the Reds, starting a huge upset among the public that lasted months. Eight players, dubbed the “Black Sox”, became apart of one of the biggest fixes in major league sports, leaving those same eight men with scarred careers and an interesting conspiracy that’s still discussed to this day. Even before the throwing of the 1919 World Series, gamblers taking advantage of disgruntled baseball players was no new thing. Multiple accounts of previous games have shown that some have been intentionally thrown for …show more content…

Most baseball teams at the time were being paid very underpaid around the time and the White Sox were no exception. Baseball had reverse clause going on at the time, which meant that if a player refused to accept a contract, they couldn’t play on any other baseball team, leaving the players stuck with a “thighwad” (Linder) of a boss. With the lack of finances coming in coupled with a tyrannical boss, it would be no wonder why it’d be so difficult to turn down such a …show more content…

Throughout the rest of the game, Eddie continued to make obvious mistakes, the White Sox losing to the Reds 9-1. According to accounts, the players were supposed to be making $20,000 a loss from the gamblers. But by the 6th game, where the Reds had a huge lead winning 4-1, the full amount had yet to be given. Said to be angered at this point, the White Sox went through the effort to win another game with a 5-4 score and a 4-1 on the game after that. Soon, reports started coming that the team’s families were being threatened if they don’t follow through with the original plan. They ended up throwing the last game, the series ending with a 5-3, rewarding the Cincinnati Reds with their first World Series

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