Understanding the match-fixing scandals of professional baseball in Taiwan: an exploratory study of a Confucianism-oriented society

Research question: Given the context of corrupt global sports, this study seeks to understand how Taiwan’s local culture is linked to match-fixing. Based on the concepts of Confucianism and Mencius’ ‘Five Cardinal Relationships’ (Wulun), this article identifies and analyzes how factors of Confucian culture relate to match-fixing in Taiwanese professional baseball (Chinese Professional Baseball League). Research methods: Nine in-depth interviews were conducted with syndicates, baseball coaches, former professional baseball players, and players’ wives. Additionally, data and information were collected from various documentary sources, including court transcripts of Taiwanese match-fixing cases, academic articles, and media and press commentaries. Results and findings: The results show that Wulun concepts can be characterized as a form of Confucianism in which social and familial relations ‘support’ various groups of actors. Elements of Wulun relationships, such as obedience, collective harmony, and loyalty, characterize the specific match-fixing context. Implications: These results indicate that both Confucian ideology and match-fixing are present in the Taiwanese professional baseball system. Meanwhile, Confucian Wulun emerges as a novel analytical concept in the literature on sports corruption.