Jackson, Shoeless Joe (1888-1951), was the most famous of eight Chicago White Sox players who in 1921 were banned from baseball for life. They were banned for supposedly accepting bribes to make Chicago lose the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. An Illinois court found all eight innocent, though some had confessed to involvement in the scheme. Despite the verdict, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis decided the eight players could never again play professional baseball. See Black Sox scandal.
Joseph Jefferson Jackson was born in Brandon Mills, South Carolina. He received his nickname in 1908 while playing in the minor leagues. Troubled by blisters from a new pair of shoes, Jackson played in his stocking feet. A fan gave him the nickname Shoeless Joe. Jackson played his first full major league season in 1911 for the Cleveland Naps (now called the Cleveland Guardians). He was traded to the White Sox in 1915. Jackson’s .356 career batting average ranks among the highest in major league history.
In the 1919 World Series, Jackson batted .375 and made no fielding errors. Many historians believe Jackson was unfairly judged. In 1989, the South Carolina state senate asked to have Jackson freed from blame. Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti denied the request.
