Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-06
GEURT1NG@SSIP
3S2:SsoA - Csmment
E89S-9

Concluding "The College Athlete" IN
Mcclures Magazine Henry Beach Need
ham makes further revelations Of the
trIckery and dishonesty which CONNER
cialism fosters in undergraduate sport.
Baseball players come in for the same
attention football stars received in the
first paper and because It is easier for
a ball player to turn his skill into a
surreptitous source Of income the con-
ditions are apparently worse with the
ball mines than with the elevens.
1t is a startling story Mr.. Needham
has to ten Of young men in their col
lege days practicing all the wiles of the
bribe-giver and bribe-taker.
Few college players could be con-
victed in court of law" he says, ION
the charge of receiving money or its
equivalent for playing BALL 1t is easier
to convict a legislator of bribe-taking
yes, the attorney of big corporation
Of bribe- -giving-than to convict a col
lege gentlemen Of evading the rules he
is pledged to live up to and of taking
money"
This is a strong statement, but that 1t
is within the facts Mr.. Needham's tale
Of the debasement of the American col
ege athlete proves beyond doubt for
his story is one Of specific instances
and he never fails to name the men, the
time and the place.
For all the evils the writer exposes
he is far from pessimistic. 1T is true
beyond question" he insists, that con-
ditions have been far worse than they
are today" He puts tho blame upon
the spirit of winning, of winning at any
cost.
"If the professionals, other than the
scientific trainers who watch over the
physical condition of the athletes, were
let go, if the amateur coaches-the col |
lege graduates-were sent about the
legiate education supposedly fits them,
and if the development of the universi-
ty crews, elevens and mines was left
to the undergraduates, primarily to
the various team captains, large
part of the present evils of college ath-
letics would disappear. The hope for
college amateurism is in the awaken
ing Of the spirit of true sport-fair
play and sport for sports sake, and
that alone.''
Southern California horsemen were
not at all surprised at the defeat of
William Garland's great trotting mare,
Sweet Marie, in the $4,000 Belmont
stake race at Philadelphia. The race
proved the theory that Tiverton is
sprinter and the Southern California
mare a slayer in a long drawn out
struggle and also somewhat vindicates
the opinion of many who were familiar
with the form of the two trotters that
Tiverton could trim Sweet Marie with
out being extended in two in three
heat event under any conditions and
at any period of the season. But the
superiority of Tiverton was not proved
conclusively as mares are never at
their best until the fall, and before the
season ends the California speed mar !
vel will probably turn the tables on
the horse that has twice defeated her.
Tivertons victory was but a repetition ,
of his performance last year when he
captured the Charter Oak stakes from
GarlandS mare.
There is no reason why Buddy Ryan 3
should not be considered the welter- :
weight champion of the world He has {
beaten all the worthy men of his class ,
in this country, and his victory over
Peterson gave him the title in Great
Britain, and so long as Joe Walcott .
does not return to life, the title right
fully belongs to the Chicagoan.
1t is interesting to note that Ryan's
rise in the pugilistic world has been
in keeping with his increase in weight. .
Two years ago he was featherweight,
and none too good at that. When he 1
broke into the welterweight ranks his !
furnishing powers appeared to have in
creased with his avoirdupois. Honey
and other welters of class went
down before him and now he stands
at the top of the heap with no one
on the horizon worthy to dispute his
of the title.
Another battle for the heavyweight
is scheduled next month
at San Francisco between a certain
Jim Mccormick and Gus Rubin, the
Akron giant. Rubin is said to base
his claim to the title in that he has
been beaten "only" by Jeffries, Fitz-
sinonnons Sharxev McCo,, a,a n so,,