The Chicago White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds during the 1919 World Series and eight players were later accused of fixing the series. The 1921 Black Sox trial acquitted the eight ball players, but they were banned for life from playing professional baseball. The eight acquitted players are White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte, first baseman Arnold 'Chick' Gandil, shortstop Charles 'Swede' Risberg, center fielder Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, pitcher Claude 'Lefty' Williams, star outfielder 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, third baseman George 'Buck' Weaver and utility infielder Fred McMullin. Buck Weaver did not go in on the fix, but he knew of the plan and was therefore banned due to this knowledge.
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Before the fall: the ill-fated 1919 Chicago White Sox strike relaxed poses for a team picture. Eight White Sox players were later charged with conspiracy to commit fraud after taking money to throw baseball games during the World Series. — National Baseball Library
Game action during a World Series game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds at Redland Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1919. — MLB Photos, Getty Images
Chick Gandil of the Chicago White Sox is out at second on a throw from Larry Kopf to Morrie Rath during World Series action, in the second inning of game one, on October 1, 1919 in Cincinnati. — Mark Rucker, Transcendental Graphics
Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte pitched during the 1919 World Series games against the Cincinnati Reds. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
'Shoeless' Joe Jackson was the star outfielder for the Chicago White Sox in the 1919 World Series. Jackson became embroiled in the Black Sox scandal. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox outfield 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson was a prominent figure in the 1919 World Series scandal. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox pitcher Claude 'Lefty' Williams from Sept. 22, 1919. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox first baseman Arnold 'Chick' Gandil circa 1918. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Charles "Swede" Risberg watches the action from the White Sox dugout in 1920. A few weeks later, Risberg was indicted for his part in the Black Sox scandal. A shortstop of average skill, he was one of the leaders in the fix and, like the others, was banned for life despite being acquitted in court. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Charles 'Swede' Risberg, who was one of the ringleaders of the 1919 World Series fix, prepares to meet with Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1927 after charging that his Sox teammates paid the Detroit Tigers to throw a four-game series in 1917. His accusations -- supported by another Black Sox conspirator, Chick Gandil -- led Landis to hold a week of hearings. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox outfielder Oscar 'Happy' Felsch in 1916. Felsch was part of the Black Sox scandel. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
The most unfortunate victim of the Black Sox scandal may have been third baseman George 'Buck' Weaver. Weaver knew the fix was in, but was reportedly threatened into silence by two of the conspirators. The facts that he hit .324 in the Series and that there was no evidence implicating him in the fix wasn't enough for Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who banned him for life. Weaver regularly applied for reinstatement, but his pleas were all rejected. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Eddie Cicotte, second from left, Joe Jackson, and Claude 'Lefty' Williams at their 1921 trial. The eight White Sox players had been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud for taking money to throw baseball games in the 1919 World Series. The eight players, known as the "Black Sox," were acquitted, but they were banned from playing professional baseball. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Attorneys and a few White Sox players pose during the Black Sox trail of 1921. White Sox player's in the back row are George 'Buck' Weaver, center, Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, second from right, and Charles 'Chick' Gandil. White Sox shortstop Swede Risberg is second from right, in the front row. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox players Charles 'Swede' Risberg, left, and Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, right, with Attorney Ray Cannon, middle, during the 1921 Black Sox trial. — Chicago Herald & Examiner historical photo
The above picture was taken on July 5, 1921 in Judge Friend's courtroom while an effort was being made to obtain a jury to try the accused members of the White Sox baseball team of 1919, charged with having 'thrown' games in the World Series of that year. Those shown in the picture are Attorney Thomas D. Nash, lower right, Attorney James C. O'Brien, second from lower right, and Attorney Ben Short, center at desk. The front row of men in white shirts and ties are all attorneys. White Sox players are in the row behind the Attorneys in suits, from right to left, including Chick Gandil, (not shown), Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, Charles 'Swede' Risberg, George 'Buck' Weaver, Eddie Cicotte, Joe Jackson and Claude 'Lefty' Williams. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
The scene in the courtroom for the Black Sox trial in 1921. Eight Chicago White Sox players were on trial for fixing the 1919 World Series. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
This is the jury that heard the case in 1921 against the eight White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. It took them only two hours of deliberation on Aug. 2, 1921 to find the players not guilty. Two days later, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players for life. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Walter 'Dutch' Ruether played against the Chicago White Sox in the 1919 World Series for the Cinicinnati Reds. Ruether, who went 19-6 for the Cincinnati Reds during their pennant-winning 1919 season, waits to testify before the Black Sox grand jury in 1921. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
The scene in the courtroom for the Black Sox trial in 1921. Eight Chicago White Sox players were on trial for fixing the 1919 World Series. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte, right, and outfielder Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, left, during the Black Sox trial in 1921. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
The scene in the courtroom for the Black Sox trial in 1921, looking at the jury against the far wall. Eight Chicago White Sox players were on trial for fixing the 1919 World Series. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago White Sox players are congratulated after their acquittal in the Black Sox trial of 1921. Eddie Cicotte, second from right front, and Oscar 'Happy' Felsch, right, shake hands with fans as George 'Buck' Weaver (center with hat) and several other players and fans smile for the camera. — Chicago Tribune historical photo
