Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

Spring 2015

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

History-BA

Department

History & Political Science

Advisor

Anthony DeStefanis, PhD

First Committee Member

Anthony DeStefanis, PhD

Second Committee Member

James Gorman, PhD

Third Committee Member

Jonathan DeCoster, PhD

Keywords

Baseball, Chicago Black Sox, Scandal, Gambling, Sports

Subject Categories

Other History | Social History | Sports Studies

Abstract

In this thesis, I discuss the relation between Chicago Tribune articles and secondary sources covering the Chicago White Sox and the 1919 World Series. The Chicago Black Sox, as they became known, fixed the World Series in an attempt to receive money from gamblers. This was reported on by the Chicago Tribune and later summarized, analyzed, and explained by various historians and authors. I start by analyzing the Chicago Tribune’s account of the events from the 1919 World Series to see if the writers noticed anything suspicious about the series. Next, I look at the Tribune’s account of the grand jury in 1920 and the 1921 criminal trial. This provides me with a firsthand account of the chaotic trial. Finally, I discuss five major sources written after 1925 that are related to the Chicago Black Sox. By doing this, I am able to find connections and differences between their stories and analysis and what the Tribune was reporting at the time.

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