Betting Scandals In Baseball
One of the big strikes against betting on sports throughout the history of gambling in sports is that it corrupts the game. The argument goes that if players are susceptible to bribes by bookies that may cause them to influence the outcome of the game. Players may also be tempted to skew the results of the game if they themselves have placed a bet on the outcome. This type of behavior cuts directly at the nature of sport as an equal playing field in which both sides strive their hardest (within the rules) to achieve victory. Major League Baseball is at the heart of the American experience in sports gambling, with a couple of notorious incidents that have set the tone for gambling opponents ever since.
Prior to 1919
In the years when MLB was just beginning, there was plenty of betting on the outcome of games, and in many different cases players, umpires, and managers were accused of throwing games in order to satisfy bookies or make money of their own. The sport had become known as America’s favorite past time, and in the innocent age at the turn of the century fans of the sport were not prepared to learn that their favorite teams might have lost games on purpose.
Some of the most notable betting scandals in baseball prior to 1919 involved the Boston Braves, The Louisville Grays, the New York Giants, the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs. The Louisville team in particular suffered over allegations, with four players being suspended in 1877 and the team eventually losing its spot in the league.
1919 World Series
This is perhaps the best known scandal in American folk lore concerning the history of gambling in sports. The Chicago White Sox (also called the Black Sox) played the Cincinnati Reds, and eight players were reported to have taken bribes to throw both individual games as well as the whole series. Among the bribed players were two starting pitchers, one of whom pitched three games (two were dismal, the third was a Black Sox victory). Controversy has always surrounded the incident; Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, for example, were both reported to be in, but both put up memorable numbers during the Series (Jackson batted .375 including a home run and 6 RBIs, Weaver had a .324 average).
Players involved in the scandal were paid $10,000 or more each. While some of the players who took the money were never conclusively proven to have deliberately thrown any games, all players who were bribed were suspended from the League forever. The scandal has lived on in the American memory, with a book and two movies made about the incident.
Pete Rose
The last of the major baseball betting scandals involved Cincinnati Reds manager and all-time Major League leader in hits, games played, and at bats Pete Rose. In 1989, Rose was accused of betting on the outcome of Reds games and accepted a voluntary ban for life from the game, although in the agreement the Commissioner of baseball at the time said that the incident would not be made public and that Rose could apply for reinstatement after one year. Rose has never been reinstated, and he has released a book wherein he admits to having bet on the outcome of 52 Reds games during the year, at $10,000 each. He stresses, however, that he never bet against his team.
It could be that the betting scandals surrounding baseball are what lies at the heart of the American government’s obstinate refusal to endorse sports gambling. Certainly, the history of gambling in sports points out that in the days when major leagues were first starting up, gambling was rampant and cause for concern. However, people should note that with the salaries received by players today, most are cushioned against the temptation to take bribes or throw games. Also read, legal bookmakers have a history of whistle blowing.
