Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed
"Shoeless Joe", was an American
outfielder who played
Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century. He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his alleged association with the
Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the
Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to
fix the
World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal,
Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first
commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the season despite exceptional play in the 1919 World Series, leading both teams in a statistical category and setting a series record. Since then, Jackson's guilt has been fiercely debated with new accounts claiming his innocence beckoning Major League Baseball to reconsider his banishment. As a result of the scandal, Jackson's career was abruptly halted in his prime, ensuring him a place in baseball lore forever.