Shoeless Joe Jackson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but his career and reputation were tarnished by his involvement in the infamous Black Sox Scandal of 1919. He was banned from the game for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and never made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But how did he die, and what was his life like after baseball? Here is a brief overview of his life and death.
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Early Life and Baseball Career
Joseph Jefferson Jackson was born on July 16, 1887, in Pickens County, South Carolina. He was the oldest son of a poor sharecropper family, and started working in a cotton mill when he was six years old. He never received much formal education, and was illiterate for most of his life. He learned to play baseball on the streets and in the mill leagues, and soon developed a natural talent for hitting. He earned his nickname “Shoeless Joe” when he played a game in his stockings because his new shoes were too tight.
He made his major league debut in 1908 with the Philadelphia Athletics, but did not get much playing time until he was traded to the Cleveland Naps (later Indians) in 1910. He quickly became a star outfielder, hitting for a .408 average in 1911, which is still a rookie record. He also led the league in triples twice, and had a career .356 batting average, which is the third highest in MLB history.
In 1915, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, where he continued to excel as a hitter and fielder. He helped the team win the World Series in 1917, and was one of the most popular and respected players in the game.
The Black Sox Scandal
However, things took a dark turn in 1919, when Jackson and seven of his teammates were accused of conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The scandal, known as the Black Sox Scandal, shocked and outraged the baseball world and the public. Although Jackson had a stellar performance in the series, hitting .375 with 12 hits (a World Series record), he admitted to accepting $5,000 from the gamblers, but claimed that he did not intentionally play poorly or try to lose.
The eight players were acquitted by a jury in 1921, but Commissioner Landis banned them from baseball for life anyway, saying that “regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a ball game, no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball.”
Jackson and his teammates appealed to Landis several times to reinstate them, but to no avail. They also tried to play in other leagues under assumed names, but were always recognized and expelled.
Life After Baseball
Jackson moved back to his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, where he opened a dry cleaning business with his wife Katie. He also ran a liquor store and a barbecue restaurant. He played baseball occasionally for local teams, but mostly kept a low profile. He was beloved by his community, who believed that he was innocent and deserved to be in the Hall of Fame.
He died of a heart attack on December 5, 1951, at the age of 64. He was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville.
Legacy and Controversy
Jackson’s legacy as a baseball player has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding his role in the Black Sox Scandal. His supporters argue that he was coerced or tricked into participating in the scheme by his teammates or gamblers, that he played honestly and did not affect the outcome of the series, and that he was unfairly punished by Landis. They point to his statistics, testimonials from other players and managers, and his confession as evidence of his innocence.
His detractors argue that he was guilty of betraying the game and the fans by accepting money from gamblers, that he knew about the plot and did not report it or try to stop it, and that he deserved to be banned for life. They point to his admission, his inconsistent statements, and circumstantial evidence as proof of his guilt.
The debate over Jackson’s innocence or guilt has been ongoing for over a century, and has inspired many books, movies, documentaries, songs, and petitions. Some notable examples are:
- The novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella (1982), which was adapted into the film Field of Dreams (1989), starring Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield and meets the ghost of Jackson, played by Ray Liotta.
- The film Eight Men Out (1988), directed by John Sayles, which depicts the events of the Black Sox Scandal from the perspective of the players, with D.B. Sweeney as Jackson.
- The song “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.” from the musical Damn Yankees (1955), which portrays Jackson as a naive and innocent victim of the scandal.
- The petition “Shoeless Joe Jackson Belongs in the Hall of Fame” (1999), which was signed by over 50,000 people, including many former and current players, managers, and sportswriters, and presented to the MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who did not act on it.
Despite the efforts of his fans and advocates, Jackson has not been reinstated by MLB or elected to the Hall of Fame. He remains one of the most controversial and tragic figures in baseball history.
