Is the sign stealing bigger than the Black Sox?

It is a big scandal, but it is not nearly as bad as the Black Sox. Imagine if players accepted money to lose today.

I think it has potential to be just as big because not enough has been done to completely shut it down. And things that could be done to eliminate it have not been done.

With modern technology it should be possible for the catcher/pitcher to exchange signs electronically/wirelessly using encryption that could not be broken in the mere seconds between being transmitted and the pitch thrown. Now no need for constantly switching up sequences so pace of play would be increased.

Similar technology could be used for the manager to relay instructions to the hitter and baserunner. Now no more need to have elaborate sign sequences touching ears, cap, etc. Those are inherently useless these days. Go watch Mark Ropers video where he uses a smart phone to use machine learning where he could steal a team's signs by end of first inning. He did it just by pointing the phone at the coaches and then recording after what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlRbfSavbI

Now tell me there are no baseball teams who have figured out how to do that same thing and are using phones to get signs. Think about it there is a stadium full of people with cell phones so it would be impossible to catch them outside of a player spilling the beans like happened here.

It's worse than the 1919 Black Sox scandal in which Chicago intentionally lost the world series in exchange for syndicate money. At least that event has an entertaining folklore vibe to it. Nobody expects a bunch of early century men with handlebar moustaches to be role models. But, these guys today cheated and thumbed their noses at the paying fans who expect fair competition and not some WWE-like crap. Their disrespect for the game is appalling.

Black Sox situation is worse. Intentionality losing is worse than cheating to win. Why? Because trying to win is at least trying to accomplish the goal of the game - WINNING - even if it is done by less than honorable methods. Cheating while attempting to achieve the goal of the game is still better than intentionally missing the goal altogether.

It's about as silly as flipping the bat after a homerun. They've been stealing signs since before the BlackSox scandal. I can't wait for the Reading The Lips scandal.

It's about as silly as flipping the bat after a homerun. They've been stealing signs since before the BlackSox scandal. I can't wait for the Reading The Lips scandal.

It’s likely about the method used, instead of the old fashioned way of relaying the signs from 2nd.