Baseball was booming and money was pouring into the game. But many players earned low salaries, so it was hardly surprising that attempts to fix matches - something that had been common for years - were rife. Two New York Giants were banned during the season for trying to bribe other players to throw games, but not even that prepared America for the scandal of the World Series.
Boxing- Dempsey Mauls His Way To the TitleJack Dempsey the most spectacular heavyweight since John L Sullivan, conceded 58 lbs but still battered the giant Jess Willard for three remorseless rounds before the world champion gave up and quit on July 4th. Two years earlier, Dempsey had been a small-time slugger fighting in the back rooms of saloons and dance halls, but a chance meeting with the manager Jack Kearns in San Francisco transformed his career.
Kearns was a brilliant publicist and within a year Dempsey (the Manassa Mauler) was the leading contender for the championship. When he won the world title he was not immediately popular with the public because he had not served during the war, but his exciting style-constantly attacking with savage punches, soon made him a national hero. He held the title until 1926.The Cincinnati Reds reached the World Series for the first time, but were not expected to beat the Chicago White Sox. Even when there were big bets on the Reds, and the White Sox made an inordinate number of elementary mistakes as they lost 5 - 3
The storm broke in September 1920 when Abe Attell, a former champion boxer, named eight White Sox who had accepted money to lose the 'world series' .
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