The Washington times., 1907-08-18
DISTINCTION CLEAR
BETWEEN ANA TEUR
AND PROFESSIONAL
No Excuse for ignorance of Amateur Athletic
Rules-Sport Clean in East, But West
ernerS Are Careless.

The difference between amateurs and
professional athletic sports as interpreted
by the American Athletic Onion is little
understood by the general public.
The Amateur Athletic Union IS an or
ganization OF international scope. It
controls absolutely. with the aid Of vari-
Gus affiliated amateur bodies. the sport
Of the world The big amateur games
al the various expositlons and at Athens
were controlled and conducted by this
organization.
Honest Athletes.
The thing that the A. 4 L. has to
combat the mot is the desire on the
part Of many athletes 10 turn their ath-
Ietic ability 70 account The A A T.
does not object 10 nor interfere with the
recognized bona hde professional ath-
Iete. Professionalism is absolutely sat
isfactory and legitimate II handled as
IL is In the big baseball leagues
What the A A. L. does Is 20 make a
distinction between the man who Is in
athletics for gain and the man who Is
In athletics for the pleasure he derives
from friendly competition The rule
says a man IS a professional II he makes
money out OF his athletic ability. even
though that sum be as small as a dol
lar, or even less. This is just, as there
can be no degree Of professionalism, and
a man is either an amateur, having
never taken any money, or he is
professional. having taken some money
or It's equivalent
What Destroys Athletics
What destroys interest in athletics
! today. disgusts the spectator and weak
ems the character Of the man himself.
IS the athlete who pretends 70 be an
amateur and IS secretly taking money
/ or its equivalent, IN small amounts,
all the time for athletic work He is
/ simply living a lie; he is not honest
I enough TO declare himself an out-and-
/ out professional. FOR he knows he is mol
good enough TO hold his own with real
| professional athletes. and he knows thai
I 4 he were to admit that he IS making
! money. however small the amount may
be he would be cast from the ranks ol
/ amateurs.
/ In ENGLAND and the continental coun-
I tries this IS alnnos, unheard Of. In tho
| Eastern States e little OF it is done
IN the Middle Western States II hap
pens occasionally, but is being rapidlS
stamped out by the A. A. l., and II
| Utah Il occurs all the time.
/ College Sports Clean
! Today college athletics are practically
free from the taint Of professionalism
4 few years ago there were uanl
abuses. but the recent purity agitation
has done much 10 wipe these thing
out stlI. there are pitfalls and mino
abuses for the clean young man q
lid. Overenthusiastic football coacne
nv TO lure good athletes away iron
other colleges by giving them snap JO0l
promising 10 get them into deslraol
fraternity, securing free tutoring 10
tbsm an5 various Ike unfair means
They sometimes get q proiesslohs %
pitcker to attend school long enough d
he eligible for some important game
and sometimes they grant undue IaVoI
| 70 attract men. but. on the w6o4e' col
IleTe athletics are clean
The average college athlete Is q gen
tIarnsn- and will refuse offers II he sus
meets that they are being made 10 hlI
because OF unusual athletic ability.
Tennis. golf and swimming are sport
all ccmparativeIy free from profession
ausm. although minor abuses creep II
/ such as side bets and free CLUB men
berships.
The big athletic club comes next o
the list. Abuses are frequent here D'
cause the average club endeavors
have in its membership the two classt
Of athlete, the amateur and the pr'
fessionaL Very frequently II harper
. that the amateur has greater ability
some particular line than the profe
sional; he knows that in a match ra'
or contest he could defeat the Pr
fessionaI. and he knows that II sue
A match were arranged he could mai
some money. and when an amate'
athlete gets 10 thinking in these char
! nels. unless he is extraordinarily h-T