The Black Sox Scandal stands as a notorious event in Major League Baseball history, involving eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who were accused of intentionally losing the World Series. This
gambling scandal, which unfolded during and around the play of the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, led to severe repercussions for the implicated players and significantly impacted the governance of professional baseball. The name "Black Sox" became synonymous with the Chicago White Sox team of that era, forever marking a period of betrayal and corruption in the sport.
The Genesis of the Fix
The conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series was reportedly conceived by White Sox first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil, who collaborated with professional gambler Joseph "Sport" Sullivan. The players involved were motivated by a combination of greed and a strong dislike for the team's owner, Charles Comiskey, who was perceived as penurious. Gandil enlisted seven of his teammates, including starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams, outfielders "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Oscar "Happy" Felsch, and infielder Charles "Swede" Risberg. Utility infielder Fred McMullin, not initially approached, learned of the fix and threatened to expose it unless he was included in the payoff. Buck Weaver was also asked to participate but declined; however, he was later banned for knowing about the fix and failing to report it.
Gamblers, including Abe Attell, a former featherweight boxing champion, became involved, though Attell initially lacked the $80,000 the White Sox players demanded. Sullivan and his associates, Sleepy Bill Burns and Billy Maharg, eventually approached New York gangster Arnold Rothstein to secure the necessary funds, with players promised a total of $100,000. Stories surrounding the scandal often portray Comiskey as a subsidiary villain, particularly regarding a clause in Cicotte's contract that would have awarded him a $10,000 bonus for winning 30 games. According to one account, Cicotte was "rested" for the final two weeks of the season after reaching his 29th win, ostensibly to deny him this bonus. However, Cicotte did start the White Sox's last game of the season on September 28th against the Tigers, but manager Kid Gleason removed him after the second inning with a 1-0 lead, ensuring he could not achieve his 30th win.
The World Series and Its Aftermath
During the World Series, the White Sox, who were heavily favored, lost to the Cincinnati Reds. Rumors of the fix began to circulate throughout the 1920 season as the White Sox competed for the American League pennant. In September 1920, a grand jury was convened to investigate the allegations. On September 28, Cicotte confessed his involvement to the grand jury. The grand jury issued its decision on October 22, 1920, implicating eight players and five gamblers with nine counts of conspiracy to defraud.
Comiskey, in October 1920, provided $1,500 bonus checks to the ten players not implicated in the scandal, as well as manager Kid Gleason. This amount equaled the difference between the winners' and losers' shares for participation in the 1919 Series. Despite being in a virtual tie for first place with the Indians on the eve of their final season series, Comiskey suspended the seven White Sox players still in the majors (Gandil had not returned in 1920). He stated he had no choice but to suspend them, a decision that likely cost the Sox any chance of winning a second pennant. The Sox subsequently lost two of their three final games against the St. Louis Browns, finishing second, two games behind the Indians, who went on to win the 1920 World Series.
The Trial and Landis's Verdict
The trial commenced in Chicago on June 27, 1921, but faced delays. Key evidence, including the signed confessions of Cicotte and Jackson, went missing from the Cook County courthouse before the trial, leading both players to recant their confessions. Years later, these missing confessions reportedly reappeared in the possession of Comiskey's lawyer. On July 19, Sleepy Bill Burns, who was under indictment, turned state's evidence and testified, admitting that White Sox members had intentionally fixed the 1919 Series and mentioning Arnold Rothstein's involvement. After additional testimony, the jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning "not guilty" verdicts for all accused players.
However, the legal acquittal did not absolve the players in the eyes of baseball's new authority. Long before the scandal, baseball owners had grievances with the National Baseball Commission's governance. The Black Sox Scandal provided the impetus for significant changes. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a respected federal judge and baseball fan, was appointed as the game's sole commissioner, granted unchecked power over the sport. Upon taking office before the 1921 season, Landis immediately placed the eight implicated players on an "ineligible list," effectively suspending them indefinitely from all professional baseball. On August 3, 1921, the day after their acquittals, Judge Landis issued his definitive verdict: "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a ball game, no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball." This decision, supported by Comiskey who released the remaining seven players from their contracts, established a precedent for the Commissioner's plenary power and ensured the permanent banishment of the eight players from organized baseball.
