Eight Men Out

What does this film, about the 1919 ‘Black Sox’ scandal, tell us about the Kantian stricture that we should not treat people merely as means to our own ends? How does the team ownership, in the person of Charles Comiskey, illustrate? How do the gamblers illustrate? How does their taking advantage of the illegality of the arrangement, to break promises to the players, illustrate? How does the film contrast Comiskey’s ‘talk’ and his ‘walk’ when it comes to respect for his players? In 1919 the White Sox players lived among their fan base, and interacted with them daily. What implications does this carry for the connections between players and fans? How do the admiring children reflect this in the film? How does the film capture the equally close relationship between sports writers and the players, and the level of betrayal felt by the former, after they found out players had lied about the collusion? How did the formation of players’ unions improve the lives of players? Do unions insulate modern players from legal consequences for cheating? Should Shoeless Joe Jackson be allowed into the Hall of Fame after so much time has passed since the events portrayed in the film?