The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-16
Summer Baseball in New England Colleges.

Summer baseball is beng favoraby recognized by New England col
eees IN spite of the fact that those who take part in professional sport are
Brown, Wesleyan and Holy Cross they hay acted o the idea that the
college player who takes money for playing baseball in summer time is on q
perfect social equality with those students who, because of better financial
standing, do not have to resort to playing ball during the summer to secure
funds to help them through college.
All this is admitted by the athletic authorities in the big universities
to be true, but they insist that the argument against summer ball playing is
perfectly sound
There lis n o class distinction, in this country a least. between tho coll
lege amateur and the college professional man for man, unless the profess
ional engages in sport that is not reputable. This Is especially true of
baseball, which is generally recognized by those at all familiar with the sub
ject as the ohanest and nos honest of all professional sports. Whatever
criticism N may make of those who control professional baseball it must
be admitted that they have maintained the integrity of the sport and have
made it worthy to be called the National game"
There is 10 odum attached to a professional ball player. A mar is a-
eeped for what lie is A rowdy oal-nayer amateur II professional is like
~ to show these traits in other walks of hfea and Is judged accordingly.
Amateur Sport Is for Sports Sake.
Amateur sport in its highest sensc is sport for sports sake 1t is a high
IDEAL and worth striving for, in the colleges most Of all. The definition Of
m amateur is almost universal The line between amateuris and profess
sionaIsm Is not imaginary; the amateur who wishes to maintain his stand-
ing knows positively when he gets to this line, and he who is lot sc con-
scfentous knows when he has crossed it. The college ball player who ae-
cepts money for his services plainly violates the rule that governs amateur
sports and is liable to disqualification in any other branch of sport in which
he my wish to engage.
1t is maintained that the sports in the colleges should be conducted upon
a higher plane than the sports governed by the A. A. L. and kindred organf-
cations and yet the A A. U, With all it's inperfectons, would never let down
the bars n M sport and thus discriminate in favor of baseball, though
there "a a time when amateur teams were permitted to employ professional
batteries.
1t is argued if a student may play professional baseball for months why
with equal justice, may he not teach boxing, engage in sunng races or run
match races for money that he may need to earn his way through college?
Those who are steadGast in their efforts to maintain a high standard of
amatemism in college baseball assertt that there is another side to the ques
lion chat is apparently forgotten by the advocates of the open door. There is
q distinction between a professional and Al amateur that does not involve
any question Of money OF of character. That a mn is a professional in any
sport implies that he has superior skill and wider experience in that snort
and, therefore, it is unfair to classify him with the man who INDUCES in this
sport for fun.