The revelation that Jim Thorpe earned approximately $60 per month playing baseball ultimately cost him his Olympic medals and changed how sports defines amateurism forever.
The Rocky Mount Railroaders (1909-1910)
During the summers of 1909 and 1910, Jim Thorpe played semi-professional baseball for the Rocky Mount Railroaders in North Carolina's Eastern Carolina League.
The Numbers
Why Thorpe Played
Thorpe's decision to play baseball wasn't about greed—it was about survival:
- Needed money after father's death left him orphaned
- Carlisle Indian School provided no summer support
- Common practice among college athletes
- Enjoyed playing baseball
- Used real name due to pride and naivety
The Double Standard
College Athletes Who Played Semi-Pro Under Aliases
- Hobey Baker (Princeton): Hockey legend, no consequences
- Frankie Frisch (Fordham): Future Hall of Famer, no punishment
- Eddie Collins (Columbia): Played as "Sullivan"
- Lou Gehrig (Columbia): Later discovered, no punishment
- Numerous Harvard, Yale, Princeton athletes: Protected by aliases
The crucial difference: These white athletes used fake names to protect their eligibility. Thorpe, with characteristic honesty and pride in his identity, played under his real name.
The Revelation (January 1913)
Six months after Thorpe's Olympic triumph, the story broke:
- Worcester Telegram's Roy Johnson discovered old scorecards
- Found Thorpe's name in team records
- Published story in January 1913
- Forced confession from Carlisle officials
- AAU immediately moved to strip medals
The Manufactured Apology
"I hope I will be partly excused by the fact that I was simply an Indian school boy and did not know all about such things. I was not very wise in the ways of the world and did not realize this was wrong."
This apology, likely written by school administrators, emphasized:
- Thorpe's supposed "ignorance" as a Native American
- Protected white officials who knew about the baseball
- Reinforced racist stereotypes of Native Americans
- Ignored that many white athletes did the same thing
Financial Context
1910 Monthly Income Comparison
The Lasting Impact
This $60 Summer Job Cost Thorpe:
- Two Olympic gold medals
- Millions in potential endorsements (in today's money)
- His place in record books for 70 years
- Psychological trauma lasting his lifetime
- Respect and recognition he deserved
Broader Consequences
The scandal had far-reaching effects:
For Amateur Sports:
- Set precedent for punishing athletes' economic needs
- Reinforced class barriers in Olympic sports
- Created hypocritical enforcement standards
- Protected wealthy athletes who didn't need money
For Native Americans:
- Reinforced stereotypes about Native intelligence
- Showed how racism affected rule enforcement
- Demonstrated institutional bias against minorities
- Set back Native American athletic participation
The Ultimate Irony
While Thorpe lost everything for earning $360 over two summers, consider:
- Olympic officials traveled first-class to Stockholm
- AAU officials earned comfortable salaries
- Coaches like Pop Warner made fortunes
- White athletes who did the same faced no consequences
- The IOC profited from Thorpe's performances
A Modern Perspective
Today's understanding of the scandal reveals:
- Thorpe was punished for being poor, not dishonest
- Racist enforcement targeted only the Native American star
- Economic necessity was criminalized
- The punishment vastly exceeded any "crime"
- Justice was denied for over a century
The $60 Jim Thorpe earned playing baseball—roughly $2,000 in today's money—became the most expensive baseball salary in history. Not because of what he earned, but because of what it cost him: Olympic glory, financial security, and decades of recognition as the champion he rightfully was.
In 2022, when the IOC finally restored Thorpe as sole Olympic champion, they acknowledged what had always been true: the real scandal wasn't that Jim Thorpe played summer baseball for grocery money, but that he was punished for it while white athletes who did the same were protected.