Eight Men Out is a 1988 American sports film based on the 1963 book written by Eliot Asinof’s called Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. It was written and directed by John Sayles with the main actor being John Cusack. Most of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Main Story
Eight Men Out is a drama about the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 where eight players from the Chicago White Sox go on trial on conspiracy charges. The charges were for conspiring to lose the 1919 World Series intentionally.
The team is set to play the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series and are at odds with the team’s owner regarding their low earnings despite its popularity and reaching the World Series.
Next, a group of professional gamblers offers the team’s top eight players a fortune to throw the Series. The team accept the offer due to their terrible pay and harsh conditions. However, this resulted in them betraying their fans and the game, leaving a lasting impact on the professional sport.
The Ending
In the end, Cincinnati Reds wins the Series and an investigation begins into the Series’s possible fixing. In 1920, Cicotte and Jackson ( the two main team members ) admitted that a fix existed and all eight men stand trial. The team was eventually acquitted of any wrongdoing. However, the Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans the eight men for life. He felt that they had either intentionally lost the game or knew about the fix and didn’t report it to the team’s officials.
Eight Men Out is more than a gambling movie about baseball as it has a fascinating storyline highlighting a clash between big businesses interests, athletes and the media.
