The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball, by Charles Fountain
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The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball, by Charles Fountain
Ebook PDF The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball, by Charles Fountain
In the most famous scandal of sports history, eight Chicago White Sox players--including Shoeless Joe Jackson--agreed to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for the promise of $20,000 each from gamblers reportedly working for New York mobster Arnold Rothstein. Heavily favored, Chicago lost the Series five games to three. Although rumors of a fix flew while the series was being played, they were largely disregarded by players and the public at large. It wasn't until a year later that a general investigation into baseball gambling reopened the case, and a nationwide scandal emerged. In this book, Charles Fountain offers a full and engaging history of one of baseball's true moments of crisis and hand-wringing, and shows how the scandal changed the way American baseball was both managed and perceived. After an extensive investigation and a trial that became a national morality play, the jury returned not-guilty verdicts for all of the White Sox players in August of 1921. The following day, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, baseball's new commissioner, "regardless of the verdicts of juries," banned the eight players for life. And thus the Black Sox entered into American mythology. Guilty or innocent? Guilty and innocent? The country wasn't sure in 1921, and as Fountain shows, we still aren't sure today. But we are continually pulled to the story, because so much of modern sport, and our attitude towards it, springs from the scandal. Fountain traces the Black Sox story from its roots in the gambling culture that pervaded the game in the years surrounding World War I, through the confusing events of the 1919 World Series itself, to the noisy aftermath and trial, and illuminates the moment as baseball's tipping point. Despite the clumsy unfolding of the scandal and trial and the callous treatment of the players involved, the Black Sox saga was a cleansing moment for the sport. It launched the age of the baseball commissioner, as baseball owners hired Landis and surrendered to him the control of their game. Fountain shows how sweeping changes in 1920s triggered by the scandal moved baseball away from its association with gamblers and fixers, and details how American's attitude toward the pastime shifted as they entered into "The Golden Age of Sport."Situating the Black Sox events in the context of later scandals, including those involving Reds manager and player Pete Rose, and the ongoing use of steroids in the game up through the present, Fountain illuminates America's near century-long fascination with the story, and its continuing relevance today.
The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball, by Charles Fountain- Amazon Sales Rank: #56559 in Books
- Published on: 2015-10-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 6.40" h x 1.10" w x 9.20" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 296 pages
Review "Someone, or a few someones, conceived of fixing the 1919 World Series. That much we know. Charles Fountain says no one knows for certain just who, or which White Sox players laid down and how often. So this is a larger story, leading to a cover-up, featuring a fascinating cast of characters, including Swede Risberg's girlfriend and the mysterious 'Operative 11.' What we learn is that, given the climate of the times, a fix like this was inevitable. We also learn that Mr. Fountain has stitched together a great, and necessary, read for all baseball fans."-Bob Ryan, The Boston Globe, ESPN
"With masterful investigative reporting skills and a sportswriter's eye for the bon mot, Charles Fountain has given us in The Betrayal incredible insights into one of the most extraordinary scandals in professional sports history. Not only does Fountain uncover bountiful new details about what happened and why but also he makes clear why Major League Baseball in the 21st century remains an exclusive club of wealthy owners still ruled by an all-powerful commissioner determined to maintain the status quo. A tour-de-force in every way." -William D. Cohan, author of The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities"Mr. Fountain's book is a gripping story, populated by unforgettable characters deftly drawn for modern readers." --Wall Street Journal "What Fountain does so well is provide the surrounding circumstances - the background to the sport, the gambling, the owners' greed, the timorous baseball front office, the shafting of the players, all the temptations that coax players to do wrong to gain an edge and make more money - at once shedding light on what is known but especially what has been ignored or underappreciated. The game-fixing routines - which date back to the Civil War - are stories in themselves, and Fountain reports it all...The scandal was a game-shattering event and cleansed baseball for a moment. Fountain writes of it with professional élan, which means letting the facts not speak but sing." --Kirkus"This latest work by Fountain puts an interesting spin on a well-trodden topic... compelling narrative..." -- Library JournalAbout the Author Charles Fountain teaches at Northeastern University's School of Journalism. He is the author of several books, including Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful. More than the Black Sox By Michael Griswold In Betrayal Charles Fountain promises the reader something beyond well-known popular or Hollywood telling of the Black Sox scandal of 1919 that cast a shadow over the integrity of the game of baseball. He accomplishes this task and more by focusing an academic, yet literary lens on the players, owners, and gamblers in such a way that even the most miniscule character appears larger than life in this grand tale of public deception and the loss of credibility for the game of baseball.But more than just the Black Sox scandal, the reader gets a history lesson about the prevalence of gambling in baseball at that point and some of the reasons why it was so prevalent, the foundational details of how all the dispersed baseball leagues eventually merged into the American and National Leagues we recognize today. Like so many things in the business world, it wasn’t over tea and crumpets.I found myself almost as interested in the governance portions of baseball than the Black Sox scandal. A number of very personal rivalries most notably the one between Charles Commisky and Ban Johnson gave us a new generation of baseball and the roots of the game that are still familiar today. It is in this personality work where Fountain’s book goes beyond others. There are many excellent histories of the Black Sox scandal, but I venture to say that few will have readers personally invested in the outcomes of events like the Commisky-Johnson confrontation like Betrayal. I felt like I was a fly on the wall of the room where the events occurred, thanks to Mr. Fountain.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A First-Rate Book on the 1919 World Series and the Prominent Individuals Involved By Bill Emblom I have never heard of author Charles Fountain and I wondered what, if anything, someone else could write about the 1919 World Series that hasn't been covered by another individual in the past. I believe this book along with "Burying the Black Sox" by Gene Carney do the best job of digging into the archives regarding the Black Sox scandal. I feel author Fountain has done meticulous research in his search for the truth in regard to those who were involved at the time be they players, owners, or gamblers. We have American League President Ban Johnson and his once friend and now bitter enemy White Sox owner Charles Comiskey along with another fierce foe, newly-elected Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis who has now pushed Johnson into the background of his beloved game. We also have the eight affected players and the gamblers who ended up double-crossing one another when the money wasn't forthcoming. Gamblers Abe Attell, Sport Sullivan, Billy Maharg, Nat Evans, and "The Big Bankroll" himself, Arnold Rothstein all have their respective rolls laid out. Sportswriters such as Ring Lardner, Hugh Fullerton, Jimmy Isaminger, and J. G. Taylor Spink of The Sporting News were featured writers at the time. Lardner never had the same love for baseball after this scandal came to light and turned his writing to other subjects.Author Charles Fountain acknowledges that several sources are no longer available for research but he does an admirable job with the material that is available. Each of the eight affected players give their version as to whether or not they played to win. They admit to taking money but there appears to be questions regarding the effort put forth during the games. I have two letters from J. G. Taylor Spink of The Sporting News in which I asked him questions regarding the 1919 World Series which I am accompanying with this review in which he states, "They were all guilty."Based on the research available to author Charles Fountain I feel he has provided the reader with a first-rate book on the 1919 World Series. It is aptly entitled "The Betrayal" since both sides betrayed the other and despite attempts to cover up the scandal it continued to fester during the off-season and into the 1920 season when it burst into full bloom. The book contains two sections of photographs of several of the prominent individuals involved.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful. A compelling must-read By Bill Kirtz Print the legend? Charles Fountain doesn’t.Meticulously researched and deftly written, The Betrayal offers a host of new details about the often-told 1919 Black Sox saga.Fountain sorts through the myriad versions of how and why the World Series was fixed, never resorting to easy conclusions. He separates what is from what ain’t so. When the facts are murky, he’s content to present – not pontificate.This tapestry of baseball and social history encompasses 19th Century game- throwing, the 1920’s politics/sports/ gambling mélange, and colorful portraits of legendary lawyers and sportswriters.From Attell (Abe: boxer, bagman and one of the saga’s host of double crossers) to Zork (Carl: gambler and plotter), The Betrayal is a richly detailed page-turner.There’s only one real rattlesnake here, but plenty of two-legged ones in executive offices and judicial robes – as well as in dugouts.The Betrayal is a must-read for anyone interested in American sports, ethics and justice – and how they occasionally mesh.
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