Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-25
SPORT is TOO MILD
One of the Fraternity Yearns
for the
GOOD OLD SPORTING DAYS
When the KNOCK Down and Drag Out
Fight Was IN Favor and Cock
ing Mans Numerous

"Grand Rapids isn't much Of . sport
ing town after ALL" sAic . member OF
the k,d-gloyed sporting fraternity. ~
he watched = pxtfolman break up an
incipient dog light on Csnsl street. al
eau remember when street dog hight
would have been attended by 200 per-
SONS, and three or four free fights
would have been thrown in on the side.
Now the only men that take any inter
est in the fights are the owners, and
they fall over each other trying TO res
cue their dog. for fear he'll get chewed.
Or II good night starts when the dogs
are alone, some blooming cop breaks IL
up just is that datfer did this one.
Dog hghta don't attract any attention
any more. Nobody seems To care any
thing about 'em, and you rarely hear
OF light for money. The public's los,
its nerve, guess.
"Now there's cock fighting. Isn't
anything more exciting known TO
sporlsmen. Take two game cocks and
let them get At each other in q pit ana
you can see lust as lively times as any
body wants TO see. BOOSTERS are dead
game scrappers. You don't often see
blooded bird show the white feather.
He stays in the ring until he WINS or
mas spur put through him. But you
don't see cock fights any more. III
there is one II 10 nelc out IN the country
In barn, on the q. e. ana after you
get out there ten to one its lake.
There used TO be time when a man
with y good game cock and q $40 bill
could get up match almost anywhere.
He wouldn't need to 20 two blocks be-
fore he could lind y chicken 0wner that
WAS dead willing to stay with him.
Now only few sports own the birds,
and Its moro trouble TO get up fight
than half of 'em are worth. You see
the police are after everything OF that
kind. Anything that there's any fun
IN the cops are always ready to pull
you for doing. ihats what knocks
cock lighting out "a sport.
spoiled bv, the Police
There's rat killing; another bang
up sport that the police have spoiled.
You take pit full of rats and lively
dog, aud there's fun all the time the
show is going on. But you don't see il
very often now. There was . time
when any number OF saloons had q pit
in the back Of the building where you
could have . dog fight, . cock main, or
anything else you wanted; but they're
mighty few now.
"There's prizs fighting; that's . lost
art too. We have few sparring exhi-
bitions, but they don't cut any figure.
Two buffers get up and slap each
others face few times with q mitten
and then have some one rub 'em down.
You don't see any honest, straight
from-the-shoulder scraps any more.
The days vi the knock-down and drag
out fight seem TO be done for. The
average 'milp these days isn't so in
| terestlng as q school boy fight ought to
be. The police have spoiled prize
fighting by their perpetual interior
ence. There are only . few places
in the country where . first-class
fight can be held. The prize
fight is practically back mum.
Ter institution IN this country. So
long IS the police won't allow bona fide
matches to finish there isn't much
use trying TO get up night. There's
no fun in one Of these milk and water
spa-ring bouts.
"The whoie character of modern
hear Of Wrestling matches any more.
They used to be of frequent occur
renee. Of course, dishonest wrestling
has had Q great deal TO do with this
state of things. There's no sport in ex.
istence where it's 60 easy to throw
AZ in q wrestling match. You know .
mans foot may slip or he may lose his
grip for n second, and the instant he
does he's doomed. II is mighty easy
thing to do something like that inten-
tionally and not he detected. Sprlnting
IL another sport that has come into dis
repute by the same dishonest means.
Moss Of Them FIXED.
"It il q rare thing to find race that
isn't fixed. l don't know but a sprint
ing match can be thrown as easily
as wrestling bout. / know that most
of them are not straight. and about the
only place you find honest sprinting
contests 10 IN collegiate field days, aud
/ they don't count as sporting events.
'Base ball has been done up by the
| professionals, and has lost eli clam 70
the distinction Of being the national
game. In spite OF the claims that this
year 10 the greatest in the history OF
base ball. everybody that knows any
tning about the game knows that there
isns tenth part Of the interest mani
| tested ia 1t that there was two or three
| years ago. Men that would drop bust
ness and everything else t. 60 to . ball
game wouldn't 20 across the street
now TO see the best game that has been
| played this season. AZ q national
sport base ball has lost its grip, and IL
| will be several moons before il - re-
stored to the place it once held. Dis
| honest professional players are the
cause II II; and what ever favor base
ball enjoys N the future il must win
ne an amateur sport.
Horse racing Is very popular just
now, but Is is due to the pool selling
and book making, rather than to the
| sport itself. You couldn't get crowd
out TO zee the RACES themselves II il
were not for the accompanying betting.
'Trotting. tennis and bicycling are
| about the only sports now that are
| popular. When they go under l sup
pose Wen have something else 10 take
their place, but Heaven only knows
what All three of sheEa are pretty
tame sports, however, and man that
yesrns for prize figh,s and cooking
mains can't he expected 70 take much
interest in q tennis match between two
f..ffrF auAa.