Eight Men Out
Clip | 3m 29sVideo has Closed Captions
Host Cecelia Sutton has the 'why' behind the 'Black Sox Scandal'.
Host Cecelia Sutton has the 'why' behind the 'Black Sox Scandal' and the long history of exploitation in the United States within the sports industry and beyond.
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SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is a local public television program presented by KSPS PBS
Eight Men Out
Clip | 3m 29sVideo has Closed Captions
Host Cecelia Sutton has the 'why' behind the 'Black Sox Scandal' and the long history of exploitation in the United States within the sports industry and beyond.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Hey sports fans, my name is Cecelia, and I'm here to present my web extras on the 1988 sports drama “Eight Men Out”.
Full disclosure, I had never heard of this movie before.
Now, I knew nothing of the Black Sox scandal, and on my own accord, I would have never sought this movie out.
But I'm so glad that I took the opportunity to watch “Eight Men Out”.
Not only did I get to learn a thing or two about baseball, but I was blown away that the plot highlighted exploitation within the industry and the disparities between the classes.
The why behind the White Sox players choosing to throw the World Series after an otherwise stellar season.
These athletes are working class, average Joes who are playing ball to support themselves and feed their families.
All the while gamblers and other white collar men are profiting gratuitously off of their talent, even in the act of bribing the team to throw the World Series.
The intent is rooted in greed.
The original scandal occurred around the 1919 World Series, and the film was shot in 1987, to be released in 1988, and the story is still relevant today.
This speaks to the eternal plight of humans and the exploitation of their labor, for the benefit of those in positions of power.
The exploitation of professional athletes is still a persistent issue today.
Slavery didn't end.
It simply changed its shape.
Today, athletes at the collegiate level receive minimal sums of scholarships compared to the massive amounts of revenue generated from their skill on the court and the use of their likeness for advertisement.
Looking at sports on the professional level, exploitation is evident simply in the way that pro athletes are expected to wreck their bodies, suffer brain damage in exchange for a $100 million salary.
Just so we're all on the same page.
When I say exploitation, what I am referring to is the act of taking advantage of someone's vulnerability for your own benefit.
This is evident early on in the film, as the players are deeply disappointed to learn that their bonus for a spectacular season came in the form of a few bottles of flat champagne.
They feel as though they're not receiving financial compensation for their talent or for their efforts on the field.
This is further demonstrated through the character of Sports Sullivan, who asked, “You know what you feed a dray horse in the morning if you want a day's work out of him, just enough to know he's hungry.” This line perfectly encapsulates the theme of exploitation throughout the film.
Even when the trial comes to a head, Shoeless Joes illiteracy is exploited as he is coerced into signing a confession for the benefit of the lawyers attempting to win their case.
This theme was likely included for dramatic effect, to drive conflict between the characters, and the filmmakers were successful in this way.
In the midst of the scheme, the morality of each player is revealed whether they were motivated by financial gain, providing for their families, or devoted to playing an honest game.
It is impossible to know for sure the individual motivations of each player on the team, but the filmmakers made the choice to dramatize the black box.
The Black Sox Scandal to tell a story of profiteering and the exploitation of athletes.
They found a new way to tell the story of real life events through the lens of class consciousness.
That's all I have for you this time.
Thank you for joining me for my web extra on the 1988 film “Eight Men Out” for Saturday Night Cinema on KSPS PBS.
I'll see you next time.
Bye.
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