Everyone loves to talk about scandals, secret affairs and hidden stories of athletes. These situations create a lot of hype around both the individuals involved as well as their teams, leagues and stadiums. There are moments that have changed the history of sports forever.
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal was one of the biggest scandals in the sports industry, and it happened during the 1919 World Series. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing games so that gamblers could bet on them. The players were banned from professional baseball for life and given prison sentences ranging from six to eight months. The team’s owner and manager were also banned for life, but they did not serve any jail time.
The scandal began when a gambler named Arnold Rothstein offered money to members of the White Sox if they would throw the series against the Cincinnati Reds. Rothstein’s offer was accepted by some members of the team, including pitcher Eddie Cicotte and first baseman Claude “Lefty” Williams, who admitted to taking bribes in exchange for losing games. Cicotte received $20,000 from Rothstein before Game 1 of the series; Williams received $10,000 before Game 2; Chick Gandil received $5,000 before Game 3; Swede Risberg received $3,500 before Game 4; Happy Felsch received $3,500 before Game 5; Buck Weaver received $2,500 before Game 6.
Pete Rose gambling on baseball
In 1989, a report compiled by investigator John Dowd found that Rose had bet on baseball games for over 20 years. The report included testimony from several of Rose’s friends and colleagues, who revealed that he had placed bets on baseball games throughout his career. Rose had been banned from baseball for life in 1989, but he appealed the decision based on the Dowd Report’s conclusions that he had not bet on baseball games while he was still playing (he did not deny this). The report stated that Rose had bet on games as recently as 1985, which would have made him ineligible to play under Rule 21(d) of the Major League Baseball constitution. Rose’s appeal was denied and his lifetime ban upheld.
Houston Astros sign stealing scandal
The Houston Astros were accused of stealing signs from the Yankees during Game 1 of the 2017 American League Championship Series. The New York Yankees had a 3-2 lead against the Houston Astros, but social media was buzzing about how the Astros had an advantage: they were cheating!
Sign-stealing is an old trick that teams use to get an edge on their opponents by knowing what pitch is coming next. It involves watching your opponent’s catcher as he receives signs from his coach; if you see him give an unusual sign or a signal that means something different than usual, then you know what pitch is coming next!
There’s no way to prove this kind of cheating—it happens too quickly—but fans are convinced that it’s happening all over MLB and even more so in key games like this one.
Baseball doping scandals
Baseball doping scandals are probably the biggest scandal in the sports industry. It is well known that many baseball players have used steroids to enhance their performance.
It all started in 2003 when a report by a former New York Times reporter named George Mitchell revealed that there was a widespread use of steroids in Major League Baseball and other professional sports leagues.
The report also stated that many players had lied about using steroids during interviews with investigators. This led to them being banned from playing for life, or having their records erased from official records.
In addition, several teams were forced to pay large amounts of money as fines for failing to properly follow rules about reporting steroid use among their players.
