Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1890-05-31
THE BASE-B ALL " AR.
1T Il DESTROYING INTEREST IN THE
NATIONAL AAME.

Money-President spalding Proclaim
War to the kRife-Only "a Question of
Time When One or the Other Yields -
Notes of the Game.
The season of 1890 promises to be the
most disastrous in the history of base
ball. The minor leagues have COM
menced TO feel the effects of the base
ball war, and some of them are about to
go 10 the wall. The International League
is standing on the brink, and several other
minor leagues are not any too strong
The American Association, too, is losing
money. Brooklyn has already Haunted
the distress signal. This is not surpris-
ing. The club was organized there on
the Sunday games anu beer privilege
basis, and had no place in reputable
base ball. 1t has been a losing venture
from the first, and the sooner it is out of
the way the better. If the war of exter-
mination continues, and either the Ma
tional or Players League 90 to the wall
then the year of 1890 will always be
looked back to as a year of disaster. At
all events it will take years for some to
get back their losses of the season
remarked some time ago., said Pres
ident A. q. Spalding, of the Chicago
League Club. in an interview the other
day, that the interest in profession Il
baseball in leading cities was dying out
/ have seen nothing since to change my
views Let us analyze the attendance of
both leagues during the past few days
The total attendance of the four National
League games Monday aggregated, nc
cording to newspaper accounts, 1851
people, and the Players League 3,4l3.
Tuesday the one National League game
a&{ oAol l. A. IL
hood games drew All. On Wednesday, a
beautiful day, the four National League
games drew 1929 and the PLAYERS
League drew 1915 people and the
players 4, 1863. Thus we have total at
tendance for four days at thirteen of the
National League games of Is, 1875 people.
while the Players League drew 1927
people for fourteen games. The average,
on this basis, for the National League is
J., 1853. against 937 for the Players League,
or grand average of l,040 people for
both leagues. Taking the last two or
three yeals as a basis, the National
League, without opposition land no fall
ing off in interesD, would average about
$500 people per game. This shows that
the grand average of attendance this year
IS l,040 against 1880 for the National
League without opposition.
Without allowing for the large compl-
mentary list and the 25-cent admiss on,
and estimating it at so cents per head,
the total receipts of the last thirteen Ma
tional League games in the four best
cities in the country amounted to 1868,
or 1882 per game, or 1921 per club as
against So, 563 for the fourteen PLAYERS
League games, or $46S per game, or 1924
per club. These receipts barely pay the
expenses of the home cl1b in advertising
and the general expenses of putting the
game on, and about sufficient to pay the
travelling expenses of the visiting club.
Well, on these figures where are the
Players League salaries to come from ?
The salaries of the National League play
ers will come from the treasures of the
clubs and the Players League salaries
must come from the receipts after the ex-
penses have been paid. If the truth were
known, it is doubtful if many of the
players in the Brotherhood have received
much pay since the season has opened
excepting the advances they got during
the winter. How long can this sort of
thing continue? AS long as the National
League clubs can supply sufficient money
and pay salaries, and as long as the Broth
erhood leaders can keep the rank and file
of their players satisfied with glitterine
promises instead of cash,
Now as to the inducements to main
tain the fight presented to the hackers
The players have signed contracts with
them agreeing 10 take their salaries out OF
the gate receipts. Furthermore, what in
ducement is there for their hackers to
put out money ON losing venture when,
oh a,II xty.,, kaxv
only ne-half the profits and take all the
risks. Without reference as to what may
happen to the National League it is sim
ply question of time when the Brother
hood bubble must burst. 1t is organized
on a misrepresentation and misappre
hension of facts. The hackers were lee
into it by the players on promises of big
profits and in turn they tied the players
up for three years on gate receipt larN
contract All this means that the hackers
with the possible exception of one club
have hopelessly lost all the money they
put into the scheme, with no chance oil
getting it out. and the players will not
get one-half the salaries promised them
Il am for war, uncompromising anC
without quarter. was opposed to it a
first, but now l want to fight until one o.
us drops dead. Mind you. the work hai
not yet begun. The National Leagu,
was built up by fourteen years of tn,
most assiduous labor. We.had one grant
enemy to fight. That enemy was de
moralization. 1t faced us in many guisei
crooked baseball, dirty work on tn,
field, rough elements, want of discipline
lack of confidence. We met them all
cut our hands little, but we won. Nov
we have to face the old problem again
But Os yet only the opening guns hav,
been fired. The slaughter is yet to come
And the league is prepared for tn
slaughter.
i can see clearly the outlines of the
future. If the Players League lastt
there will he 25-cent baseball, Sunda,
games, beer will flow in the grand stands
and the industry will be ruined by ute
destruction as the grand finale of tn
play. The league, | promise you, will
hold on until it is dashed to piece
against the rocks of rebellion and demon
alization. ! stand ready 10 90 out of tn
business and wash my hands clean of i
all when the hour comes.
Baseball Notes.
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