In AIS, we are currently reading
The Great Gatsby, and are at the part where the well known "Black Sox Scandal" has come into play (pun!). Being a humongous baseball (GO CUBS) fan, I am very knowledgeable about the topic! It was a very pivotal point not only in baseball's history, but American history as well, and I think it is important to know about it so here goes...
To start, this story is about the 1919 Chicago White Sox's in the World Series. They are pictured below.
They look so innocent, right? The reality is, 8 of these players were banned from Major League Baseball due to purposely "throwing" the 1919 World Series Game against the Cincinnati Reds. All in all, this was a gambling scheme, created by the Sox's first basemen. He recruited other team members, including the famous Shoeless Joe Jackson, which later was a heartbreak to many young fans.
Playing fair is a part of American Society. Some try to slide by without getting caught, (and sometimes they don't!) but it shows character and respect for the game when you play fair. This issue makes me think of the current day "steroid usage" issue. Is that cheating? How should we handle that situation?
Sarah-
ReplyDeleteMy dad and I are both big Sox fans- my dad is a huge baseball fan in general! He wanted to comment, so here he is!
Sarah, very good writing; nicely done! Just a couple of quick thoughts: perhaps the Scandal really began in 1917 when the White Sox won the World Series but the owner, Charles Comiskey, was too cheap to reward the players, causing great anger among the players. And then at that time, crime syndicates had infiltrated baseball circles of players, and members of organized crime reached out to first baseman, Chick Gandil, and so it began!