Swede Risberg

Charles August "Swede" Risberg (October 13, 1894 – October 13, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He played for the Chicago White Sox from 1917 to 1920 and is best known for his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Charles Risberg was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He had very little education growing up and withdrew from school in the third grade. However, he soon developed a reputation as a good semipro pitcher and began his professional baseball career in 1912.

Risberg soon converted to shortstop. In 1914, he hit .366 in the Class D Union Association and was acquired by the Venice Tigers of the Pacific Coast League. He was the club's utility infielder in 1915 and 1916, gaining acclaim for his defensive skills. He was then bought by the American League's Chicago White Sox in early 1917.

Risberg made his debut on April 11, 1917 for the White Sox. He was a below-average hitter, but because of his superb defensive abilities, he won the full-time job at shortstop. Late in the season, Risberg experienced a terrible slump, and he only had two plate appearances, both as a pinch hitter, when the White Sox beat the New York Giants in the 1917 World Series.

The next season, Risberg briefly returned to California to work in a shipyard as part of the war effort. Although his job was termed essential and enabled him to avoid the draft, it consisted largely of playing baseball, as he batted .308 for the shipyard ballclub.

Risberg returned to the White Sox for the pennant-winning 1919 season. In September, he received positive press in the Atlanta Constitution, which labeled him a "miracle man" who had "blossomed out as a wonder" after making four plays that were "phenomenal." Chicago was heavy favorites in 1919 World Series versus the Cincinnati Reds. However, a group of White Sox players, including Risberg, agreed to intentionally lose the series in exchange for monetary payments from a network of gamblers. Risberg was one of the ringleaders, helping to convince some of his teammates to participate in the scheme. In the eight-game series, he was 2 for 25 at the plate and committed a World Series-record eight errors.

Risberg received $15,000 for his role in the fix, an amount that was more than four times his regular-season salary. The scandal broke in late 1920, and although the eight players were acquitted in the trial that followed, they were all banned from organized baseball by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

Risberg was reinstated by Commissioner Rob Manfred on May 13, 2025 along with other deceased players who were on the ineligible list.