This is an act that usually takes place on teams that are expected to win with ease. Rarely do the athletes intentionally lose the game, but they keep it just close enough to appease their fans and coaches, while making thousands of dollars for corrupt businessmen involved in the Vegas gambling scene. .
Regarded as one of the biggest scandals in sports history, the 1951 point-shaving scandal involved seven teams, thirty-two players, and over eighty-six "fixed" games. While several of the schools involved in the cheating were lower level programs, the world of college basketball was shocked to see that two of its most prestigious programs, national power Kentucky and defending NIT and NCAA tournament champion CCNY were among those involved. CCNY, or "City College of New York" was seen as a prime target for gamblers because they had many of the same qualities corruptors find appetizing today. Many of the players were sons of poverty-stricken parents, and grandsons of slaves, so when they saw the opportunity to make several thousand dollars in a short period of time, they didn't hesitate to take it. The focus of this scandal was in New York, where schools such as Long Island University and New York University were also involved in the cheating. Once an informed student of another school let the police know about the activity, all of the players were apprehended and interrogated, where they all confessed what had taken place. Legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, also an open racist, claimed the scandal was confined to the "Jews and niggers" of New York, openly chastising and mocking the players and coaches of the accused institutions. His words would come back to haunt him however, as two players from Rupp's all-white squad would confess their involvement in the scandal a week later. (Conrad).
While the scandal of "51 may have been the beginning of gambling's influence on the integrity of college basketball, it certainly was not the end.
