Article

Abstract

Members of the Southern California Water Polo Club entered Melbourne’s Olympic pool knowing that some questioned if they were the rightful representatives of the US. Their path to Melbourne involved allegations of match manipulation at the Olympic Trials. This research note explores a shrouded piece of US Olympic history and analyzes linked, intriguing stories. How did events bring former Amateur Athletic Union president Jeremiah Mahoney to threaten legal action against International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage? Why did Mrs. M. A. Koblish make it her mission to hold US sport officials to account for ignoring the alleged match fixing? Olympic match fixing, and the focus it receives in Olympic circles, is a result of the increasing possibilities for reward and the heightened value placed on winning in contemporary society; however, this episode reminds us that the tentacles of “rule bending” stretch back in time.