# The biggest scandals in sports history

The Black Sox who threw a World Series, Ben Johnson's positive test in Seoul, the seven Tours Lance Armstrong lost, Calciopoli and the non-disabled players on Spain's Paralympic basketball team in Sydney: the scandals that shook sport. Which was the worst?

- 177 votes · 13 items
- Jan 18, 2026 · Gianella H.
- https://even.best/en/l/3945/the-biggest-scandals-in-sports-history

## Top 13

1. **The Black Sox (1919)** (18 · ▲20 ▼2) — Eight White Sox players banned for life for throwing the World Series for money.
2. **Spain's Paralympic basketball team (2000)** (15 · ▲15 ▼0) — Ten of the twelve champions in Sydney had no intellectual disability.
3. **Hansie Cronje (2000)** (14 · ▲15 ▼1) — The South African cricket captain, banned for life for match-fixing.
4. **Ben Johnson (1988)** (13 · ▲15 ▼2) — He won the Seoul 100 metres in world-record time and tested positive for stanozolol.
5. **Lance Armstrong (2012)** (13 · ▲14 ▼1) — Stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life for doping.
6. **Calciopoli (2006)** (12 · ▲14 ▼2) — Wiretaps exposed match-fixing in Serie A; Juventus were relegated to Serie B.
7. **The attack on Nancy Kerrigan (1994)** (12 · ▲13 ▼1) — The skater was assaulted by people close to her rival Tonya Harding.
8. **Crashgate (2008)** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash in Singapore to help Alonso.
9. **Russian state doping (2014)** (7 · ▲9 ▼2) — An organised system to beat drug tests, including at the Sochi Games.
10. **Bloodgate (2009)** (6 · ▲8 ▼2) — A rugby player faked an injury with a fake blood capsule to force a substitution.
11. **The Astros sign-stealing scandal (2017)** (6 · ▲8 ▼2) — They used technology to steal opponents' signs in their championship season.
12. **Pakistan's ball-tampering row (2006)** (5 · ▲7 ▼2) — A Test match abandoned at The Oval over the accusation.
13. **The "Hand of God" (1986)** (4 · ▲7 ▼3) — Maradona scored with his hand against England at the Mexico World Cup.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.