There’s no real story behind the Boston Red Sox calling themselves the Red Sox.  However, there’s quite an interesting story behind the Chicago White Sox calling themselves the White Sox.  Back in the early 20^th century, a lot of people had begun calling them the “Black Sox.”  Why?  Because a group of the White Six players had bet against themselves and then conspired to throw a few games to the Cincinnati Reds.  They eventually got caught and it marred their reputation for years.  It took them almost a century to win another World Series, so at least the Black Sox curse wasn’t as permanent as the Billy Goat curse put on the Chicago Cubs.  But that’s where the motto ‘Good guys wear black” comes from since the modern day Sox often wear black versions of their baseball uniforms.  Ironically, back in the old Negro baseball league, there was actually a team called the Black Sox.  They have no real notoriety other than a lot of people confuse them with the White Sox.  A lot of assume that before the scandal the White Sox were called the Black Sox and that afterwards they changed the new as a fresh start and a way to try to rebuild the team’s reputation.  But that’s wrong.  They were always the White Sox.