Subtopic 1

I wasn't quite sure what to pick for my first subtopic, but after perusing my notes, I realized that I had the perfect argument. Joe Jackson was in fact acquitted from any charges that he faced, after authorities alleged that he and his fellow players had thrown the game. He played on the Chicago White Sox, who made it all the way to the World Series. Jackson and his eight other teammates were approached by a gambler offering them $20,000 if they would "throw" the game. After being asked three times Jackson supposedly gave in and agreed to lose the game. Once authorities heard this the players were investigated and put on trial, losing a game intentionally is a felony. In Jackson's defense he had questionable legal counsel, however he was still acquitted along with all of his teammates. To the player's dismay, commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned all of the nine players from baseball for life. The commissioner did not have the authority to overrule a trial presided over by a judge and jury. Landis argued that he was trying to set a precedent for any future players involved in gambling, and he did. He managed to ban several more players form baseball while he was commissioner. Compared to punishment meted out today for serious crimes committed by major league ball players, this was excessive.