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The 1919 World Series And The Kingpin Of Organized Crime
The 1919 World Series And The Kingpin Of Organized Crime
By Rose Fiscella (Class of 24)
10/26/21
The year is 1919, and the World Series is just around the corner. Fans flock from all over the country to watch the eight game phenomenon and none of them will be able to predict what the Series outcome will be.
For the eight games, the White Sox continually lost against the Cincinnati Reds.
Why Did The White Sox Lose?
To answer this question we have to go back to one man: Arnold Rothstein.
Arnold Rothstein was born on January 17, 1882. He grew up comfortably in Manhattan, the son of an affluent Jewish businessman, Abraham Rothstein, and his wife Esther. His father was a man of upright character, who had acquired the nickname “Abe the Just”.
Arnold was highly skilled in mathematics, but was otherwise uninterested in school. Rothstein was known to be a difficult child, and he harboured a deep envy of his older brother, Harry.
Rothstein’s father believed that his son always craved to be the center of attention and would often get frustrated when he was not.
While still a child, Rothstein began to indulge in gambling, but no matter how often his father scolded him for shooting dice, Rothstein would not stop.
In 1921, Rothstein was asked how he became a gambler;
“I always gambled. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. Maybe I gambled to show my father he couldn’t tell me what to do, but I don’t think so. I think I gambled because I loved the excitement. When I gambled, nothing else mattered.”
Now, flash forward to the year of 1919. Some Memorable Moments Were:
The Treaty of Versailles was signed.
Prohibition goes into effect in the United States.
Felix the Cat appears in Feline Follies, making him the first cartoon character.
The 1919 World Series
Black Sox Scandal
Wait a moment, Black Sox Scandal?
I’m getting ahead of myself.
There is a great deal of evidence both for and against Arnold Rothstein being involved in the World Series fix.
In 1919, Rothstein’s agents allegedly paid members of the Chicago White Sox to “throw”, deliberately lose, the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.
He bet against them and made a significant profit in what was called the “Black Sox Scandal”.
Rothstein was summoned to Chicago to testify before a grand jury investigation of the incident; Rothstein said that he was an innocent businessman, intent on clearing his name and his reputation. Prosecutors could find no evidence linking Rothstein to the affair, and he was never indicted.
Rothstein testified;
"The whole thing started when [Abe] Attell and some other cheap gamblers decided to frame the Series and make a killing. The world knows I was asked in on the deal and my friends know how I turned it down flat. I don’t doubt that Attell used my name to put it over. That’s been done by smarter men than Abe. But I was not in on it, would not have gone into it under any circumstances and did not bet a cent on the Series after I found out what was underway.”
Arnold Rothstein in the 1920s
In the 1920s, Felix The Cat became the first cartoon character.
Despite being such a scandalous man, A.R. never indulged in alcohol and drugs (which he did help sell during Prohibition), but he rather fancied a nice glass of milk and a piece of cake.
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