Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-29
England Deserves the Title, but Amer
lea Isn't a Bit Behind in
Athletic Enthusiasm.
NOTHING EQUALS OUR BASEBALL.
London Pugilistic Circles Are Having
Season of Quiet, but Still There
is Plenty of Talk.
SLAVIE SAID TO BE RATED TOO HIGH.
A Match Between FOgarty and Wall or GOOde Set
Down for the Near Future.
rcoRErsPoxDENcs OF THE DIsrATcH.l

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcH.l
LONDON, June 19.-England is undoubt
edlv land of sport. What mean BY that
is an unusually large number of her citizens
are interested in outdoor sports and exer.
cises In America we are constantly being
told Of this fact and in a way that gives us
a notion of greater things than really do ex'
list. 1 don't want to deprecate the very
great sporting proclivities of the Britishers.
have had a good tour among some of the
leading resorts in the greatest city of the
British Empire, and, while as I have just
indicated, am ready to admit that there is
q very strong following in sporting matters,
there is not that wild enthusiasm about il
that we are now and again led to believe.
1 think that before have done with these
reviews or opinions which will relate to En-
glish sporting matters, 1 will show that in
almost ali branches of sport there is as much
enthusiasm in America as We will find In
England. Of course, refer to the branches
of sport that are more or less popular in
both countries In dealing with this feature,
and it is an interesting one, it is not my in
harshly on the prejudices of anybody. My
sole aim is to point out that, as far as am
able to Judge, there is just as much go
among the sporting people of America as we
can find in England.
We're Not the Only Blows.
It is proverbial in England that the
yankee or American has everything to
say in his own behalf. But let me frankly
and fairly point out that if any
American sporting authority can
say more about his own case
or his own great importance than can
a thoroughgoing Londoner. he is
what First ward native would call a
dandy" Why, the Londoner can sit and
blow of more about the extraordinary sig
nifcance Of himself and friends in an hour
than can the American in a day. don't
wish to mention names in this instance but
the other day was in company with a very
prominent sporting writer and editor of
London. He went on to tell me how he had
gone to "Plunger" Walton when he was
here and told him how owners had resolved
to systematically rob him. Said the writer:
II told Walton that he had been bribing
Jockeys, and that the owners knew it, and,
therefore, they we're going to run their
horses to down him. 1 surprised Walton,
and if he had taken my advice he would
have gone home wealthy man. I met him
him when he was broken, and he remarked
to me that was the only true and we'll in
formed friend he had met"
Now, ask, is that not Just as strong as
Americans can draw it when on modest"
blowing tour? 1 want to say that the gem
tleman just quoted did not talk to Walton
as above, but ii he did he certainly was
fool for not betting the opposite way to Wal
ton, or, above all. he and his paper are very
questionable, indeed, for not exposing the
swindling owners before they robbed Wal
ton. The American sporting writers
wouldn't have withheld such information
from the public, if they had known it, OF
course. But blowing" is not a monopoly
of the Americans.
About Enthusiasm.
1t issafe to say that in no particular branch
of sport in England is there as much enthu-
siasm as there is in baseball in America.
If can prove this then 1 think 1 have
proven my contention that there is Just as
strong q desire to patronlze sports in
America as in England. Certainly / do
not exclude foot ball. That snort is not the
national game here, but in some parts of
take the national game, cricket. 1 don't
think that any Euglishman will contend for
one moment that cricket is as popular in
England as baseball is in America. Take
q cricket game at Nottingham yesterday, for
instance, between the Australians and the
Nottingham team. The contest was OF the
greatest signifcsnce-just as important as
anv base ball game that could take place in
Pittsburg, and vet the attendance was only
5000 Tor the entire day.
This is q fair specimen of every game.
True, there are contests where the crowd is
probably three or four times as large in
day, but there are exceptions, and very rare
ones. But there are not by far the
number of cricket games played at
any one city during the season
that We find in baseball games in America,
so that the aggregate patronage of baseball
and the money paid to see it vastly out
weigh the patronage given to and money
spent on cricket. To this lat me add the
fact that scarcely a cricket club in the coun-
try has been known to support itself.
-
Football a Holiday Game.
Football is undoubtedly growing in popu-
larity in England, but there are features
connected with it that give Americans a
false impression regarding its patronage as
compared with that OF baseball. When
talking of the very big crowds that patron
iEe football here, we should not forget that the
game is. generally speaking, only played on
Saturdays and holidays As a rule during the
week, except on the days named, there are no
football games. This naturally causes a tre-
mendous crowd at the one game of the week.
But baseball is every day. Wero there to be
only one game per week between the Pittsburg
club and the most popular In the country at
Pittsburg, what crowd there would be on
Saturday, and still that crowd would not be
equal to the aggregate of six days.
think this will show that the American
people spend more money on their national
game than the English people do on theirs. and
/ think this means there is more enthusiasm
among the Americans.
Regarding horse-racing, / need only remark
that 10 the majority of cases there are NO ad-
mission fees to English race courses. This
prevents q comparison, as we cannot well COM
pare the enthusiasm about a thing that costs
nothing and that about ano her for which we
such as boxing, rowing etc, the fact that SO
many Englishmen are constantly visiting
America to make money in those branches
proves that there is more enthusiasm
in the matter in America than among
the Britisbers. Altogether I am fully
satisfied that after all, leading branches of
sport are just as popular in America as in
England and that we have no more reason to
call England the "land of sport" than we have
10 qualify America by that name. This con-
clusion may surprise some people, but / have
come TO it only after careful consideration.
Pugilistic Business.
There is nothing very exciting or sensational
going on in London at present as far as pugil-
ism or boxing is concerned. In that line every
thing seems to be as dull as the weather, and
goodness knows that is wretched. For six days