Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-28
COLLEGES
DEFINING AMATEURS
SPEC IAL ATHLETIC COMMITTEE
WORKING ON QUESTION
Where Professionalism Begins Is =
Knotty Problem Which Is Puz-
zling Directors of This and
other Countries

NEW YORK, Marcn z1'--lHlporldhl
developments are expected soon, as
result of the movement begun at last
winters meeting of the intercollegiate
Athletic association to secure good
definition of an amateur athlete, and
an enunciation of laws for his gov
eminent.
The question was forced upon the
sixty members of this organization
when q visiting delegate asked whether
or not colleges that permit summer
baseball would be welcome additions
to the Intercollegiate association. Now,
it happens that each institution join
ing must agree, among other things,
to prevent the playing In intercolle-
giate contests of those ineligible as
amateurs. Hence the query, who IL
an amateur" became of unusual I'M
portance to the collegiate world.
But the colleges in this country are
not alone in their efforts to settle this
vexed point. Laws on the amateur
are being promulgated by the athletic
associations OF England, Denmark ana
other lands. The amateur status has
become of Importance largely on &C
count of the wide influence of the
Olympic games. The participants In
these are supposed to be simon pure
ameteurs, whether coming from tne
United States, New Zealand or AUS
tralia. The discussions that arose over
some of them at the London Olympic
are still echoing in the ears of the
public.
1t is necessary to have uniform gov
erning laws for the separation or the
amateurs from the professionals, else
these chickering's win always occur at
these great international meets. That
colleges are taking part in the move
ment is q subject for congratulatlon,
since it is well known that England
and other continental countries some
times look askance at the amateurism
of the college athlete of the United
States The abuses existing In col
legiate athletics, the commerciallsm SO
common in connection with the sports
of many American institutions are WI
known to foreigners, so 1t is not sur
prising that they look upon all our
college athletes with more or less sus-
picion. 1t cannot be claimed that the
last Olympic games lessened TINS sus-
nicion: indeed, certain unfortunate in
cidents but increased 1t a hundred-
fold.
1t is fortunate that the colleges
should have formed an association
which has become large and important
enough to deal with the matter or the
amateur law. But the framing OF o
satisfactory law from the educational
standpoint will prove difficult on &C
count of the prevalence of baseball
playing for money or its equivalent by
college students.
Many institutions permit their stu
dents to join minor baseball leagues
during the summer months and insist
that their amateur status is not in
jured thereby. On the other hand,
many colleges publicly frown on this
making of athletic prowess means or
gain while in private condoning 1T on
the part of their own players. There
are, in addition, institutions which are
honestly striving to prevent their stu
dents violating one of the considered
fundamentals of the amateur law, with
the result that these players are apt
to deceive, to lie and thus to seriously
deteriorate morally.
To correct these evils is one of the
great aims of the siXty-six colleges and
universities that belong to the Inter-
collegiate association.
The sentiment seems to be decidedly
in favor of securing a reasonable def
milton of an amateur and then strictly
upholding the standard set. With this
end in view the following committee
was appointed and is now struggling
with the subject: Capt. Palmer E..
Pierce, West Point; Prof. A. A. Stage,
Chicago university; Prof. G. w. Heth--
erington, Missouri university; DR.. H..
L. Williams, Minnesota university;
Prof. Paul c. Phillips, Amherst col
lege; Prof. f. w. Nicholson, Wesleyan
university; Prof. w. L. Dudley. Van
derbilt university; Prof. Louis Bevier,
jr., Rutgers college. Circular letters
have been sent out asking for help in
the solution of this important problem.
The committee is studying the defini-
ton of an amateur and the laws gov
erning the same recently adopted by
the Wales. Danish and Tasmania fed
erations, which reads Amateur shall
mean one who has never competed for
money, whether in the form of prize,
staked bet or declared wager, or
knowingly competed with or against a
professional, or taught, pursued, or
assisted in the practice of any athletic
exercise as a means of livelihood or
for pecuniary gain" Under this defini-
ton are nine separate statements of
what constitutes a professional and
six exceptions. The laws. then, are
seen to be as definite and as unyielding
as possible.
Whether similar laws are suited to
the college situation is to be decided
Conditions are different. The one set
of laws deals with men, the other with
boys and those just entering manhood
The prevalence of summer ball playing
all over the United States between
teams to which college players during
vacation naturally gravitate make the
amateur question a different one from
the collegiate standpoint. Most of the
small towns have their baseball mines
largely made up of boys, which play
against each other. These play fol-
gate receipts, and on the mines are u.s.
usually two or three paid players. The
question at once comes up, Are all
who take part in such games profess
sional?" The committee is considering
the following provision of the amateur
law to suit such cases:
mo student shall represent a college
or university in any collegiate game OF
contest who has at any time received
either directly or indirectly, money OF
any other consideration to play on any
team, or for his services as a college
trainer, athletic or gymnastic instruct
or, or who has competed for a money
prize or portion of gate receipts in any
contest, or who has competed for any
prize against a professional. In apply
sing this rule the constituted authorities
shall discriminate between the DELHI
crate use of athletic skill as means t.
a livelihood and technical, uninten.
tional or youthful infractions of this
rules"