Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21
A REVIEW OF SPORTS,
Some Remarks About the Proposed
New Rule Regarding the
Amateur Athletes.
STANDARD DEFINITIONS GIVEN.
CONNIE on the Recent Battle Between
Jimmy Carroll and Andy Bowen
Myers Compared With Them.
OPINIONS on BASEBALL MATTERS.

OPINIONS on BASEBALL MATTERS.
Possibilities Of the Proposed Buying Out Of the cndn-
matt Club
If the announcements and declarations of
various officials in amateur athletic organ
ixations and prominent patrons of amateur
sports are true we are to have more stringent
rules regarding amateurs than we now have.
The Amateur Athletic Union will meet at
Washington on October IL and the question
of still more rigidly defining amateurism
than it is noS will be discussed. In other
words there is a very strong desire to ''draw
the lines'' tighter on amateur and mark out
more distinctly the dividing point between
an amateur and a professional. During the
week the question has been extensively dis
cussed, and / may add that the action of
certain athletic clubs in keeping" certain
cyclists for certain events has been the
cause of the determination to knock all the
professionalism out of amateur sports. This
is a very important matter to patrons OF
sports because don't know of a period in
American history when the sporting craze"
was greater than at present. Without
doubt there is larger following of sports and
pastimes in the United States to-day than
there has been in the history of the country.
And that desire to indulge in sport is grow
ing rapidly still. In every city clubs are
being formed and annual contests and
field days arranged. This goes to
show that no question of a sporting
kind could be of more interest than the one
l have just referred to above. But the ques-
ton is not only interesting because it relates
to narrowing the limits of amateurism, but
it is also significant because it prompts an
inquiry into the question of what certain
amateurs have been and are doing now 1t
also viii cause many people to read up the
staCdlng definition of an amateur. To deal
with the matter at present cannot be other
than interesting to large number
of readers in and about Pittsburg. An
athletic club of unusual size has been Or
ganized here, and, if 1 am rightly informed,
more than one amateur rowing club will be
formed next year This being So it will be |
well that every member of these organiza-
tions know what they can and what thev |
cannot do as amateurs: in short, it will be |
to their advantage and to the advantage of |
the clubs if each can read his title clear |
to the ranks of amateurs.
Some Facts Worth Knowing,
am fully persuaded that there has for a
very long time been some very erroneous
impressions afoat in and about Pittsburg
regarding what an amateur is. Every day,
in fact, we read Of amateur" baseball clubs
and individual players cOntesting for stakes
and playing for salaries. At various sports
recently contests have been on the pro-
gramme inducing amateurs and profes-
sIonals alike to compete together, and really
the idea seemed to prevail among the pro-
moters of these sports that there would be |
no harm in such eontesting. 1t will be a
pity if any amateur is led astray by anv
such trap or red-herring trail. Depend
upon it, matters have come to such a pass
that the term amateur" will in future be
very safely guarded, and it will be we'll for
those who are connected with the new local
organizations to be very careful as to what
they do in the way of competing for prizes
So that we can proceed in this matter in
telligently, L give two definitions of an
amateur athlete. The first is that of the
National Association of Amateur Athletes
OF America. 1t is as follows:
IAN amateur is any person who has never
competed in an open competition, or for
fessional for prize, or where gate money is
charged, nor has ever at any time taught.
pursued or assisted at athletic exercises for
money or for any valuable consideration.
But nothing in the definition shall be con-
strued to prohibit the competition between
amateurs FOR medals, cups or other prizes
than money"
Here is the definition of the Amateur
Athletic Union of the United States. "One
who has not entered in an open competition,
or FOR either a stake, public admission
money or entrance; or under fictitious
names, or has not competed with or against
a pro essional Tor any prize or where admis-
sion is charged, or has not instructed, pur-
sued or assisted in the pursuit OF athletic ex-
ercises as means of livelihood or for gain
or emolument; or whose membership of any
athletic club OF any kind, was not brought
about or does not continue, because of auy
mutual understanding, express or implied,
whereby his becoming or continuing a mem
Der of such club would be of any pecuniary
benefit to him whatever, diret or indiret.
and who shall in other ard all respects con-
form to the rules and regulations of this or
ganization."
About the Definitions,