The Badger game is an extortion scheme, often perpetrated on married men, in which the victim or "mark" is deliberately coerced into a compromising position then threatened with public exposure of his acts unless blackmail money is paid. Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person either obtains money, property or services from another through coercion or intimidation or threatens one with physical harm unless they are paid money or property. ... The victim of a confidence game or magic trick is often called the mark, or the vic. ... For other uses, see Blackmail (disambiguation). ...

There are two competing explanations for the origin of the term badger game. One explanation is that the term originated in the practice of badger baiting. Another says that it derives its name from the state of Wisconsin (the Badger State), where the con allegedly either originated or was popularized. Badger Baiting Badger-baiting is a bloodsport involving the baiting of badgers. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked...

This con has been around since at least the early 19th century. There are several variations of the con, but the most common form goes something like this: a man, preferably a lonely, married man of some financial means from out of town, is marked by the con artists. An attractive woman who is part of the con goes up to him and begins flirting. The woman entices the man to a private place with the intent of coercing him into a compromising position, usually involving some sort of sexual act. An accomplice gathers evidence of the act by way of photographs, video, or some other means. The accomplice then goes to the mark and threatens to expose him unless blackmail money is paid. A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... For other uses, see Blackmail (disambiguation). ...

The woman may also claim that the sexual encounter was non-consensual and threaten the victim with a rape charge. It can also involve such things as the threat of a sexual harassment charge which may endanger the victim's career. Sexual harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. ...

In the days before photography or video, the accomplice would usually burst into the room in mid act and claim to be the woman's husband, father, older brother, etc., and demand justice. The con was particularly effective in the 19th and earlier 20th century when the social repercussions of adultery were much greater. Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. ...

Variants of the con involve luring the mark with homosexual acts, underage girls, child pornography, bizarre sexual fetishes, or other activities deemed to have a particular social stigma. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Sexual fetishism, first described as such by Sigmund Freud though the concept and certainly the activity is quite ancient, is a form of paraphilia where the object of affection is a specific inanimate object or part of a persons body. ...

Another form involves accusations of professional misconduct. In an example of this form of the con, a "sick" woman would visit a physician. The woman would describe symptoms that required her to disrobe for the examination, require the doctor to examine the genitals, or ensure similar scrutiny from the doctor. In the midst of the examination, an "outraged husband" or "outraged father" would enter the room and accuse the doctor of deviant misconduct. The "sick" woman, who is of course part of the con, takes the side of her accomplice and threatens the doctor with criminal charges or a lawsuit. This form of the badger game was first widely publicized in an article in the August 25, 1930 edition of Time magazine. (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

The con is usually committed against married men but can also be used on married women, public figures, religious leaders, etc.

Non-sexual versions of this con also exist, particularly among ethnic or religious groups with strong social taboos. For example, enticing a Jew or Muslim to eat pork or coercing a Mormon to gamble or drink alcohol. The con-artist would then threaten to expose the mark's activity to the community. This article is about cultural prohibitions in general, for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Two halves of pork being delivered Pork is the culinary name for meat from pigs. ... Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving the risk of money or valuables on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity is partially or totally dependent upon chance. ... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ...

The Badger game has been featured in numerous books, movies, and television shows as a plot device.

Other Forms of the Badger Game

The Badger Game is also the name of a classic drinking game. Simply substitute the word "Badger" for words in film titles. That's the only rule of note, other than that the film should be at least a little well known.

For example, "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her BADGER" or, "The BADGERS of Eastwick" or a favourite, "Seven Brides For Seven BADGERS".

The Badger game in popular culture

• A badger game is used in John le Carré's spy novel Smiley's People to entrap the Soviet agent Kirov, and thus ultimately to bring down the house of cards around George Smiley's bête noire, Karla.
• In both the James Michener novel Centennial and the television miniseries based on the book, the Wendell family makes a fortune by extorting large sums of money by employing the badger game.
• In both the John Grisham novel The Firm and the movie based on it, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is enticed into having an extramarital sexual encounter, then blackmailed into cooperating with his shady colleagues.
• In the BBC sitcom series Blackadder Edmund Blackadder uses the Badger Game in the "Money" episode to blackmail the Baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells. He hires the best portait painter in England to paint a protrait (from life) of the Bishop in bed with a prostitute played by Lord Percy.
• In the 2005 movie Derailed, Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) is the bait in a badger game targeted at Charles Schine (Clive Owen), with Philippe Laroche (Vincent Cassel) serving as the intimidating blackmailer.
• In the American television show Heroes, Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) serves as bait for another character, Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar).
• A badger game was used in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Gone".
• In the American television show Rome the badger game is used to coerce the daughter of Lucius Vorenus to assist one of his competitors.

John le Carré is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born October 19, 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), an English writer of espionage novels. ... Smileys People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979, by Random House (ISBN 0394508432). ... Book cover showing Sir Alec Guiness as George Smiley. ... Bête Noire is an album by British singer Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records in November 1987. ... James Albert Michener (February 3, 1907? - October 16, 1997) was the American author of such books as Tales of the South Pacific (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948), Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas and Poland. ... Centennial was a novel written by American author James Michener and published in 1974. ... Centennial was a 12-episode American television miniseries that aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. ... John Ray Grisham Jr. ... The Firm is a 1991 legal thriller and the second novel by John Grisham. ... This article is about the 1993 film. ... Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer. ... Blackadder II was the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. ... Derailed is a 2005 American thriller/drama film based on a James Siegel novel by the same name adapted by Stuart Beattie. ... Jennifer Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning American film and television actress. ... Clive Owen (born October 3, 1964) is a Golden Globe and BAFTA winning critically acclaimed English actor, now a regular performer in Hollywood and independent American films. ... Vincent Cassel (born November 23, 1966) is a French actor. ... Heroes is an American science fiction drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. ... Nicole Niki Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. ... Ali Larter (born Alison Elizabeth Larter on February 28, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Nathan Petrelli is a fictional character portrayed by Adrian Pasdar in the television series Heroes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ... Rome is a multiple Emmy Award-winning historical drama, produced in Italy for television by the BBC (UK), HBO (USA), and RAI (Italy). ...

See also

• Clip joint
• Entrapment
• Honey trap