The Black Sox Scandal

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The game of baseball has been labeled as "America's Pastime." Since its beginning in the United States about 150 years ago, millions of people of all ages have played the sport. With anything in life, especially sports, cheating will always occur in some way. Throughout the history of baseball, many scandals and offenses have occurred. While many of these situations have eventually passed over, one in particular has not; it stands out significantly: The Black Sox Scandal.
The year 1919 was a busy time around the world. World War I had just ended and quite a few of the soldiers were baseball players ("The Black Sox" 3). Also, the United States was beginning to enter a depression, and tensions amongst the people were on the rise. One of the few ways people would pass their time and relieve their stress was by attending sporting events, such as baseball games ("The Black Sox" 3). Another way people would attempt to enjoy themselves was by drinking and gambling. Although these activities usually never ended in a positive way, people continued to take part in them. With drinking on the rise, it became outlawed and made illegal. Even though this happened, the consumption of alcohol had not ceased. Gambling was also on the rise, with people both blowing away their life savings and also becoming millionaires. With the combination of the attendance at baseball games on the rise, the amount of people gambling, and the amount of money being gambled, many dishonest people began to take advantage of the situation ("The Black Sox" 4).
The greatest scandal to take place during this era occurred with the most looked forward to event of the entire year, The World Series ("The Black Sox" 3). This year's World Series of 1919 was a matchup between...

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...d, to how much money was involved. The people who were disclosed by Jackson and Cicotte were then called to be tried in June of 1921. The players, who were brought to trial, were suspended for the remainder of the 1920 season. At the conclusion of the trial, all of those involved were acquitted. They were found not guilty, mainly due to a lack of evidence.
The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 remains the most infamous scandal in baseball's storied history. The fix exemplified the desperate position in which the United States had been in at the time. It is quite saddening to hear how selfish men can become when money is put in front of them. They not only drastically altered their own lives, but they also affected many more lives around them. The Black Sox Scandal will remain in history as one of the most disgusting series of events to ever occur in Major League Baseball.

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