Eight men Out is the story of the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919-1921. The 1988 film covers the struggles of the players working for a notoriously cheap owner/manager, their collusion to throw the 1919 World Series with gamblers for bribes, and the legal cases that followed.
The film, by John Sayles, gives a good portrayal of post-war Chicago, the devotion of fans, the power of Comiskey and the corruption of the legal system. It also shows how powerless the players really were, and why they