Evening star., 1908-02-03
SOME DESIRABLE REFORMS
FIGHT THAT rs BEING MADE BY
THE A. A. u.

The Amateur Athletic Union has been
in the limelight considerably this winter,
owing to the many questions that have
forced themselves to the front, and kept
President Sullivan and his cabinet con-
stantly on the Jump.
The purpose of the Amateur Athletic
Union is to rid the roster of those ath-
letes who like birds of passage, can be
found going around the country repre-
senting as many different clubs as there
are months In the calendar year. In
other words. there is coterie of pure
amateur sports in the .Amatuer Athletic
Union who will make 4 heroic effort to
stop the practice of the. large and power
ful clubs of New York of corralling ath-
letes of repute from every section of the
country and bringing them to New York
to have them run under their colors.
The New York Athletic Club. one of the
richest athletic organizations in the world,
has enjoyed huge monopoly of this de-
moral:zing practice for years. In the
past it was easy for it to capture the
best-Duffy. Wefers. Maxey Long. Seitz
and Hillman as examples-but lately the
Pastime Athletics and the Irish American
ding for record holders is just as breezy
and spirited as If the men were profess
sional ball players.
1t is causing a war among the big clubs
similar to that of twelve years ago when
the powerful Manhattans and New York
athletics locked horns which ended with
the former going out of business entirely
To prevent another great scandal Barlow
Weeks. Decatur Miller and James E. Sui
Ivan are hen6inQ eyary effort
case in point. Sheppard. the champion
mile runner. was schoolboy at Phila-
delpha when he first startled the athlete
of America by his wonderful running.
Before getting through the preparatory
departments he was induced to go to New
York and become member of the Irish
Athletic Club. If Sheppard Is working
he has never been accused of it. for all
of his time is passed in travelling around
as a representative of that club at the
many indoor meets. and his case is one
the union is going after.
Since Arthur Duffy came from behind
the barriers and exposed the practices of
the amateurs there has been decided
uplifting OF the tone of American ath-
letes. but there is vet room for the wiping
out of many tainted ones. and these the
union will cast out.
Another move that is attracting atten-
ton is the safeguarding of indoor meets
from a spectators point of view and to
protect patrons VINO put up the tarln to
see the games. 1t is the purpose of the
union to prevent tn. center of the room
from being crowded with a lot of figure
heads and contestants. In the first place
only judges. starte, and timers will be
allowed inside the inclosure. the rest
such as marshals. clerks. etc. will be
kept on the outside. while place at the
end of the hall will be reserved for con-
testants, whore they Wi congregate until
called to participate in the events.
This is one of the best moves the union
can take. for those who attended the
recent meeting of the George Washing
ton University will recall what nuisance
the crowd was that collected at the finish
of the races. preventing the people in
the seats from Witnessing any of the
finishes. while twice judges Of field sports,
who should have been elsewhere, got on
the track in their eagerness to see the
races and came into collision with the
runners. If the hackers of the approach
ing Federal meet do not protect patrons
better than the officials of the George
Washington people did. it will give all
such interesting athletic meets a black
eye here in Washington.
The Amateur Athletic Union is mapping
out great reforms and it should merit the
of all lovers Of pure and
unsullied amateur sports.