30 Great Sports Consp Theories

by Kalb,Elliott

• ISBN13: 9781602396784
• ISBN10: 1602396787
• Edition: 00
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-07-17
• Publisher: FRWHEEL

Summary

Separating fact from myth, Kalb attempts to determine which of these long-held conspiracy theories hold water, and which ones fall flat under scrutiny. Ranking the conspiracies from 1 to 30 and the likelihood of each conspiracy from 1 to 5, Kalb boldly asks: Did baseball avoid integration in the 1930s and 1940s with an unwritten agreement? Was Super Bowl III a fixed game? Did Sonny Liston throw both of his fights vs. Muhammad Ali? Was the NBA's first-ever draft lottery fixed? Why did Michael Jordan really retire from basketball the first time? Are some NASCAR race outcomes too good to be true? Did the New England Patriots cheat their way to a dynasty? What really happened at the 1921 Kentucky Derby? Why weren't any Japanese players signed to major league contracts from 1965-1995? And much more!

Author Biography

Elliott Kalb has been the editorial director of MLB Network since its inception in 2009. Previously known for his broadcast work with NBC Sports, HBO Sports, TNT, and CBS-Westwood One Radio Network, he is an eight-time Sports Emmy winner. The author of three previous books, including Who's Better, Who's Best in Baseball? Kalb lives in northern New Jersey with his wife Amy and his children. Mark Weinstein is a book editor and writer specializing in sports. He lives with his wife in New York City.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Baseball avoided integration in the 1930s and 1940s by an unwritten agreement	p. 13
NBA owners cater to the "white dollar" in the 1950s with a quota system	p. 25
Baseball owners collude against free agents in the mid-1980s	p. 35
Did Sonny Liston throw his fights against Muhammad Ali?	p. 47
NBA's first-ever draft lottery delivers Patrick Ewing to New York	p. 57
AFL gains credibility with victory in Super Bowl III	p. 71
Isiah Thomas left off the 1992 Olympic Dream Team	p. 85
Michael Jordan's first retirement	p. 95
Alan Eagleson colludes with NHL owners to keep hockey salaries down	p. 103
Gamblers attempt to fix the 1946 NFL championship game	p. 111
Was there a secret agreement between Pete Rose and Bart Giamatti?	p. 123
Why were Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker allowed to remain in the league after being found guilty of gambling?	p. 135
Are some NASCAR outcomes too good to be true?	p. 147
Cheaters conspire to steal signs, throw illegal pitches, steal pennants	p. 159
The steroids era in baseball	p. 169
Who's keeping Dennis Rodman and Peter Vecsey out of the Basketball Hall of Fame?	p. 177
Funny business at the Kentucky Derby	p. 187
Why weren't any Japanese players signed to major league contracts from 1965-1995?	p. 193
Attempts to keep minorities from breaking cherished baseball records	p. 203
Was NFL legend Sammy Baugh involved in a gambling scandal?	p. 215
Did John McGraw conspire to fix games and World Series?	p. 223
Did the NFL conspire in the mid-1980s to monopolize professional football?	p. 233
Shoeless Joe Jackson kept out of Baseball Hall of Fame	p. 243
U.S. Olympic basketball team gets cheated out of the gold in 1972	p. 251
Olympic gold medalist in women's 100-meter hides a secret	p. 261
Did UNLV throw the 1991 NCAA semi-final game vs. Duke?	p. 267
Was Cal Ripken's 2001 All-Star Game home run a set-up?	p. 281
Two conspiracy theories in one! Did the New England Patriots, with an assist from the NFL, cheat their way to a dynasty?	p. 289
Did Chinese Olympic hero Liu Xiang fake an injury in the 2008 Beijing Games?	p. 309
Summary	p. 319
Acknowledgments	p. 321
Sources	p. 325
Index	p. 333
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.