The Black Sox Scandal of 1919
The Black Sox Scandal was a infamous event in baseball history that occurred during the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.
The scandal involved several members of the White Sox team, who were accused of throwing the series in exchange for money from gamblers. The players involved were:
- Shoeless Joe Jackson
- Eddie Cicotte
- Buck Weaver
- Happy Felsch
- Chick Gandil
- Swede Risberg
- Fred McMullin
- Lefty Williams
The scandal began when several gamblers, including Arnold Rothstein and Sport Sullivan, approached the players with offers of money to throw the series. The players, who were dissatisfied with their low salaries and felt underappreciated by the team's owner, Charles Comiskey, agreed to the scheme.
During the series, the players made deliberate errors and poor plays, leading to the White Sox's defeat. The Reds won the series 5 games to 3, and the gamblers paid the players a total of $100,000.
However, the scandal was soon discovered, and an investigation was launched. The players were eventually tried and found not guilty, but they were still banned from professional baseball for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
The scandal led to a major overhaul of baseball's governance and rules, including the establishment of the office of the Commissioner and the introduction of new rules to prevent similar scandals in the future.
The Black Sox Scandal remains one of the most infamous events in baseball history, and its legacy continues to be felt today.
Give me a biography for Arnold Rothstein .
Was Rothstein associated with any other notable mob figures of the era?
Were most of Rothstein's activities in Chicago? He seems to be associated with Chicago Crime figures.
When were the 5 families of organized crime in New York formed? Who was the one behind that formation?