Top Major League Baseball Scandals
Sports have been a part of human history for a while now and every country has that one sport with which it is associated. For the United States, baseball is that sport. It is a much-loved sport in the States but it, like many other sports, has had its fair share of drama and scandals.
Scandals in sports, particularly in the early days of almost any professional sport, have been common. Despite the scandals, whatever the kind, people love to watch sports and they love to bet on them, betting being a rather entertaining activity. Online betting has become popular lately. Лучшие букмекерские конторы are the ones which you can find online and get access to quickly.
Baseball, though, has had plenty of scandals, at the top of the ladder, the Major League. Here are the most famous ones.
Black Sox Incident of 1919
1919 was a terrible year to be a White Sox fan. The incident was named the Black Sox incident and it is one of the most famous incidents in the history of sports. 8 players of the White Sox decided that it would be in their interest to throw the game (for money, obviously).
This resulted in them being permanently banned from baseball. This also led to the position of the commissioner being created, judge Kenesaw Landis being the first one. He was the person to ban all 8 players from baseball.
The Mitchell Report – Steroids are Illegal
Most sports are pretty adamant about steroids and doping. Baseball is not different in this regard. Yet, there have been reports over the years, talks, and stories about people cheating. It also goes without saying that there are bound to be some people who cheat in almost every sport. Not everyone is willing to go the distance to win, particularly if they can take shortcuts and get away with it.
When the Mitchell Report was published, a document detailed 89 players who took steroids. Some of the names on the list were very surprising.
Pittsburgh Cocaine Scandal – 1985
Cocaine was the steroid of the 1980s. It was commonly used in many sports in the first part of the 21st century but was obviously outlawed by all countries, as a drug. That did not stop players from wanting an advantage, any kind of it, at any price.
The drug trial in September of 1985 discovered that many of the Pittsburgh Pirate athletes were using cocaine. Some were suspended for a season while others, who distributed the drug, ended up serving a prison sentence
Players like Willie Mays Aikens and Rod Scurry never recovered from the scandal and finished their careers early.
Willie Mays (again) and Mickey Mantle Ban
Willie Mays, prior to his cocaine scandal, was banned alongside Mickey Mantle, because they were greeting people entering casinos in Atlantic City. Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn decided that their involvement was ban-worthy.
They were banned in 1984 but the ban was quickly uplifted by Peter Hoberroth, being considered a very bad decision in the first place. Ironically, Mays would be involved in other scandals, like the one mentioned above.
These are some of MLB’s most interesting scandals. Some involve money, others steroids, and actual drugs. Baseball, like other sports, has had its fair share of drama, and most likely will again, at some point.