The world series was played by the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago white Sox. The format used for the series was the best of nine format. Seven players from the White Sox were banned from organized baseball for fixing the series. Gambling had been a presence in baseball long before the Black Sox scandal, and the major league team owners had done little to limit its influence. Rumors of a fix circulated before, during, and after the 1919 series, but the White Sox owner, Charles Comiskey, chose not to investigate them. Prompted by concerns of several journalists and baseball executives, a grand jury investigated allegations over a fixed 1920 season game, which eventually led to investigation of the 1919 series and the indictment of the eight
