The real tragedy of the story is not only that members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team (aka the Black Sox) threw some games during the 1919 World Series. It was what happened to those players afterwards. Several of the best all-time players in baseball history were involved and were banned for life from baseball. Particularly pitcher Eddie Cicotte, and position players "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, the latter two claimed later they didn't accept the bribes and didn't cooperate. Jackson in particular still has one of the highest career batting averages in MLB history.
The film I think is really about business corruption and greed during the early decades of the 20th century. The owners of baseball teams were making exponentially more than players' combined salaries. Most professional baseball players of this era were illiterate and uneducated. When given the opportunity to throw games for payment, the White Sox players didn't really understand the far-reaching effects long-term.
According to the film, Jackson, who probably didn't really cooperate, always believed his ability was at such a high level that some team in the MLB would still hire him regardless of the scandal. He didn't realize that later, MLB would introduce a special clause into their contracts. It said a player could be banned from the game even if he didn't participate in "throwing a game" but heard about it from other "crooked players" and didn't report it. In other words players had to be snitches.
The highest-paid baseball players made about $8000 to $10,000 a year during 1919 and 1920. The White Sox payroll in 1919 was about $90,000. Certainly baseball players made about four or five times the average worker's salary, but it was a pittance compared to what the owners were making which was probably millions. The owners made money not only off ticket sales but score cards, souvenirs, and food and beverages. Charles Comisky, the owner of the White Sox, even bottled his own beer below the stands, and sold them to attendees.
Players of the era were caught in a web of tightfisted egomaniac owners who were often miserly towards their players and salaries. Unlike today, there was no such thing as free agency, i.e. A free market In other words a player couldn't entertain offers from other ball clubs. They were stuck with their team and the owners decided how much to pay them. The players' only recourse was possibly to leave the game but they were all under contractual obligation. And in many cases, players could be traded.
At the beginning of the film, the players are talked about like they're livestock animals. They can be bought, traded and sold like chattel. The "Black Sox" nickname occurred because Charles Comisky, owner of the White Sox, wanted the players to pay for their uniforms to be laundered! When they refused the uniforms started looking unclean, hence the new nickname.
The other side of the game were the gamblers who were making hundreds of thousands of dollars off bets concerning players making only a fraction. Consider at the time, there were no pensions for former players. In 1919 the gamblers offered the best White Sox players $10,000 each to throw games, $2000 per game. In the end they gave them $5000 per player. But this was still huge money, more than half a years' salary for an entire season for the best players. Would they throw the game? Was the money enough?
The film I think is really about business corruption and greed during the early decades of the 20th century. The owners of baseball teams were making exponentially more than players' combined salaries. Most professional baseball players of this era were illiterate and uneducated. When given the opportunity to throw games for payment, the White Sox players didn't really understand the far-reaching effects long-term.
According to the film, Jackson, who probably didn't really cooperate, always believed his ability was at such a high level that some team in the MLB would still hire him regardless of the scandal. He didn't realize that later, MLB would introduce a special clause into their contracts. It said a player could be banned from the game even if he didn't participate in "throwing a game" but heard about it from other "crooked players" and didn't report it. In other words players had to be snitches.
The highest-paid baseball players made about $8000 to $10,000 a year during 1919 and 1920. The White Sox payroll in 1919 was about $90,000. Certainly baseball players made about four or five times the average worker's salary, but it was a pittance compared to what the owners were making which was probably millions. The owners made money not only off ticket sales but score cards, souvenirs, and food and beverages. Charles Comisky, the owner of the White Sox, even bottled his own beer below the stands, and sold them to attendees.
Players of the era were caught in a web of tightfisted egomaniac owners who were often miserly towards their players and salaries. Unlike today, there was no such thing as free agency, i.e. A free market In other words a player couldn't entertain offers from other ball clubs. They were stuck with their team and the owners decided how much to pay them. The players' only recourse was possibly to leave the game but they were all under contractual obligation. And in many cases, players could be traded.
At the beginning of the film, the players are talked about like they're livestock animals. They can be bought, traded and sold like chattel. The "Black Sox" nickname occurred because Charles Comisky, owner of the White Sox, wanted the players to pay for their uniforms to be laundered! When they refused the uniforms started looking unclean, hence the new nickname.
The other side of the game were the gamblers who were making hundreds of thousands of dollars off bets concerning players making only a fraction. Consider at the time, there were no pensions for former players. In 1919 the gamblers offered the best White Sox players $10,000 each to throw games, $2000 per game. In the end they gave them $5000 per player. But this was still huge money, more than half a years' salary for an entire season for the best players. Would they throw the game? Was the money enough?