In the aftermath of allegations that the 1919 World Series had been deliberately thrown, Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced on September 28, 1920, the indefinite suspension of eight Chicago White Sox players. The action followed criminal trials and a broader public scandal that exposed the vulnerability of professional sports to gambling influence and led to permanent changes in baseball oversight. Background The Chicago White Sox, a strong team in the American League, faced the Cincinnati Reds in the 1919 World Series. Almost immediately afterward, rumors circulated that several White Sox players had conspired with gamblers to underperform in specific games in exchange for money. Allegations centered on payments that had been made to players to influence the outcome of the series. Legal and League Proceedings Federal prosecutors indicted several players; the ensuing trials in 1920 drew intense public attention. In the criminal trial, the players were acquitted in late August 1920. Despite the not-guilty verdicts, public outrage and concerns about the integrity of the sport persisted. In response, baseball’s newly empowered commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, conducted a separate investigation into the conduct of the players and the circumstances surrounding the series. Commissioner Landis’s Decision On September 28, 1920, Landis announced the indefinite suspension of eight players associated with the White Sox: pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams; infielders Chick Gandil, Charles “Swede” Risberg, and Fred McMullin; outfielders Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch; and first baseman Buck Weaver. Landis made clear that even without criminal convictions, the mere association with and participatory conduct in gambling schemes were incompatible with maintaining the sport’s integrity. His decision applied regardless of whether legal standards for criminal conviction had been met. Consequences and Legacy The suspensions effectively ended the major-league careers of those players. Some, notably Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, later made public appeals and continued to assert their innocence or mitigating circumstances; Weaver maintained he did not accept money and protested his ban. Debates over individual culpability have persisted for decades, with researchers and historians re-examining evidence, players’ actions, and the fairness of Landis’s all-encompassing punishment. More broadly, the scandal prompted major-league baseball to reinforce strict rules against gambling and to bolster the office of the commissioner with broad authority to protect the game’s integrity. The Black Sox affair remains a defining moment in sports history—frequently cited in discussions about ethics in professional athletics, the relationship between players and gambling interests, and the expansive powers of league commissioners. Historiography and Disputes While the factual sequence of indictment, acquittal, and suspension is well documented, aspects of individual responsibility and the extent of each player’s involvement remain subjects of historical debate. Contemporary records, trial transcripts, later testimonies, and scholarship have offered differing interpretations; some modern writers argue for reconsideration of certain bans, while others contend Landis’s decisive action was necessary to restore public confidence. These disputes are ongoing among historians and baseball scholars. The Black Sox case continues to be taught as an example of how sports institutions respond to corruption and the trade-offs between legal outcomes and organizational standards of conduct.