The Washington herald., 1907-10-27
MONEY IN BASEBALL
COmiskey Gives Interesting
Facts About Game.
AS A COMMERCIAL VENTURE
Owner of the White sOx Adds Chap
ter to History of National Pastime
by Pointing our Some of the Trials
and TrIbuIntiOus of Manager Who
Tries to Land HIS Team First.

Charles A. Comiskey, owner of the Chi
cago White Sox, and famous years ago
as the great first baseman. manager, and
captain of Chris Won der Ahe's champion
St Louis Browns, contributes the follow
ing interesting chapter to baseball his
tory;
The development Of baseball, as a bus
mess. has been so complete that 1t has
attained a prominence second TO no other
American industry in extensiveness and
Importance The business Of baseball
iourishes wherever there is a stretch Of
level ground and enough lumber 10 make
a bat, and as more people are interested
in it than In any other single industry in
the country. surely il is the most impor-
tant. IN Chicago, where the livestock
trade has acquired somewhat OF a repu-
tation, IL is extremely probable that most
OF the inhabitants, # confronted with the
alternative Of giving up their meat OF
their baseball. would choose to become
vegetarians.
The statistical extent OF baseball is
difficult 70 estimate and not likely to be
overestimated. Approximately 300 profes-
sional teams are listed under the national
agreement. and 20 the players Of these
clubs over S2577,OoO was paid out last
year IN salaries. To maintain the grounds
of these clubs and for incidental salaries
there was an additional expenditure Of
/ s.. 500 600. For railroad fares the club
/ owners parted with close on 20 S1,0o0, 600,
and for hotel bills for the travelling clubs
1 the amount paid out approximated $780,
/ COO For spring training expenses the
magnates parted with Sl25 600. part Of
which they made back, Of course. in the
Iante-seasOn exhibition games. For all ad-
ditional expenses rolled up by the clubs
/ playing under the national agreement
4 there was an outlay Of at least I.C0O COO
/ These figures. il must be remembered,
are the clubs playing for what is known
/ as organized baseball. In every city in
/ the country there ore hundreds Of teams
/ playing as amateurs and so-called
J seni-professionlls. The professional
/ teams. however, are just as much profes-
sional. from a strictly business stand
point, as any league team in the country.
Two Chicago Clubs.
In Chicago. which just now is the cen
ter Of the baseball universe. the business
/ done by all Of the semI-professional clubs
combined is not far short Of what is
registered on the books of the two major
/ league teams In all Of the big cities a
1 host Of professional teams thrive
and are prosperous. and II a list of al
these teams could be had it IS probable
that the number would reach well up IN
the thousands. 1t can be seen. then. how
hard it is to arrive at any conclusion con
/ cerning the volume Of baseball bushes.
that is done annually in the cities OF
America. To support the organized game
alone there is an outlay of well on tC
Slo00o000. and IL probably is safe 20 say
taat this sum represents but a fraction ot
what the American people pay out eacf
year for the maintenance of baseball
clubs
As a business investment, baseball il
similar to any commercial venture in n,
respect that an able. resourceful man car
make II pay. Without doubt there ar,
scores Of minor league clubs which do no
declare a dividend at the end of the year
but it cannot be said. for that reason
alone, that these clubs do not pay. Whu,
1t is true that the absence Of a surplus
at the end of the season would indicate
loss on the investment, it does not neces
sarily follow that such Is the case. If tn
team has gone along through the sum
mer. paying salaries to all the player
and 10 the officials of the club, swelling
the Golfers of the street car company
and pulling out in September OF Octobe
without a debt, IL cannot be said Of tina
club that IL was a failure. IL is one o
the peCuliarities Of the baseball bushes
that makes this possible. In some o
the smaller clubs there is not much OF al
original investment To start WITH moth
ing, in fact, except a small sum wit
which 20 pay the first installment on IN
ground lease and a few hundred dollar
for a grand stand From the very star
the club has an income, which cannot b
said Of all business ventures, and If IN
minor league club owners would adher
TO their ante-seasOn agreements TO kee
their salary limit under a prearrange
maximum, there would be few delinquen
cies among the clubs at the end of tn
season.
willing to Take Chance.
Relative to the success OF failure o
baseball clubs, there is one fact tina
sticks out prominently each year. an
that is the willingness with which tn
burden Of managing the club is taken u
each spring regardless OF the number 0
persistency Of rumors concerning tn
losses OF the previous season Let bake
or butcher shop fail a half dozen years Il
succession and the difficulty of finding
new proprietor will increase with eacl
failure. Not so with the average smal
town baseball club. The owners OF tn
previous year may have lost everythin
they had, but that fact does net deter
/ new set OF magnates, or even the sam
ones from entering on the new seaso
with unlimited enthusiasm.
Baseball has a great advertising valu
for the town in which it is played, Fo
! this reason the small town merchants ar
! always doing what they can to encOuTag
= the game. When there is a league tn
results Of each days games are printe
in all the newspapers for miles around
= This advertises the various cites in n
= uncertain way, and when the league pen
= nant winner Is declared a subtle impress
sion goes out that the success Of the win
! ming baseball team is but a reflection o
the all-around winning attributes Of tn
town boasting the pennant winners. Man
and many a small town in this countr
would sit up all night waiting for tn
7 telegraphic report of a score that was t
decide the pennsnt winner OF its league
The same town would little care nor Ion
remember the announcement Of a raj
road companys intention TO build
branch into the community OF which
happened 20 be the center. The new raj