New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-11
COMMENT on SPORT
M4KTNG IN AMATEUR.
.Neses of.1 Vieus ot ClarcHt T'0f2ics-
Imatem and Professional.

II
dm0teur and Professional.
Il TIE ecion Of the registration COMMITTEES OF the
~,et-onalitsn association of the Amateur Athletic
r-nteu &, surrounding SIX the most prominent attn
ietes n the country what amounted to a chareo
Of professionalism only t. reinstate them WITHIN
week because the CHARGE could not De su"sla4'-
.isfes al b accepted indication OF keen
xsscfsa.ness saen some good may come OF Il az
a 1slse i.npression however has gone abroad some
/ OF The work accomplished looking to me upti1.s
o< amateur sport has been stultiheo; Commence ~
the integrity OF our athletes must De ouli' y
<o- as said q ago, where there Is sloh7 NHe'e
a. no,Yrs 70 be some fire. American athletes anu
American track and field athletics are not nan 81
sack as they have been painted from tlrlle ~ i.
Nst there is some reason for suspicion, as ohere
seems TO be & disposition the part Of 3 huinDef
= - >, e7-s5a the -t,es I'D 70 the actual breaking
o.rt and this Of course. leads 10 much gossip ana
sa exaggerated idea OF evil practices. II Is cause
s~ some satisfaction that the charges were MOI W
a k,ad 10 merit punishment b1t it Is cause TOT
Yes-et that the common excuse OF ignorance u o
Les even for miner infringement, is accepted so
sfren have no quarrel with the reglstraloh cOi,I
rusttee &C. carrying out its plain outy ulueF 'ie
r-.ias IN sgsa|nt:-s- the men, and am IN nearly
trr,ss=ar s-itli x sork Of James E. Sullivan anu
,fe Ar .sr AfeiI, Union but that does not pre-
ci,,6s q r-raI- acc 3nTnendaJion for so anleholhg
ire rules sS - I=event al siur being cast on inc
standing c< an sthlets until proper case has peen
Np
rleading ignorance by man who IS supposed 10
know the rules
8 sDsce xzs lacking week ago TO comment on the
-, -,ae+i-v ~ the intercollegiate Athletic As
xooiat,on Of the United States. and q few words
nav be pertinent this time. ! was more man
ever IMPRESSED with the good work that TINS as
ISOLATION has done and is doing 10 raise the stand
ard of intercollegiate sports and 10 remedy what
So abuses NAY exist There is much that is theo-
;e-ica but also much that is practical. IN the &C.
alterations Of body OF men which represents th9
faculty end CT the various instltutioIiss ana Nae
good results that be traced directly TO the OF
-.-,szsrson Of this association cannot be OTeTest-
mated Much can stu be accomplished SO that attn
sezlc~ activities may be maintained on an eth4cd4
rlane IA keeping with the dignity and high purpose
&C education which is the chief object OF the ssoci
stior as outlined the constitution The eNlis o.
-sosevtztus conaercelisrn and seIzl-protessloaI-
ISM which by the way, are less IN evidence thah
few years ago. could De wiped out quicker WIN
tbs cooperation Of Yale, Princeton, Harvard Cor
nell and Columbia but without thelr hep'
exoe-- IN en indirect way the work go on In
-his connection viii say that 1t is hard to under
stand why the large colleges IN the East snoulo
h6Ed sloot when close study OF the AIMS OF INC
association points clearly tbs fact that II is IN no
sense governing body and that the larger colleges
would tn no way lose their independence IN govern
ing their sports.
PERHAPS the most forward step taken By the in
terconegla1e association at its meeting week ago
was tia passing Of & resolution favoring and en-
couraging tbs formation Of sectional alliances IN
various parts OF the country In order 10 deVelcp
what may be termed home rule. Conditions vary
81 different parts Of the country. and what might
he considered wrong for one set Of colleges might
be for the interests Of another set even with
both living Up Ear possible 10 the spirit OF
1rle amateur sport outlined IN the constitution
Il should not be, and apparently IL Is not Ihe
,rrcse OF the Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Of the United States TO frame any hard ana 1asI
rules TO prevent summer baseball playing for
money OF any Of the other evils which creep into
kco.leciate sport purpose, however, to set
q standard and make recommendations, and then
leave il tc the allied associations &c make their
own rules TO control and govern the various sports
Under the conditions that exist in the various dis
trlcss BY the close relationship Of these associa-
ors To the parent body viii be possible TO pre-
went an out-and-out professional in one district
from appearing IN another as a sirnonpure anna
teur. as IS often the even now, and it would
lead also TO much desired Interchange Of ideas on
questions pertaining 10 the right conduct OF sports
4 The question OF summer baseball playing for
s.7orev bv college men vital one, and while no
particular advance was apparent toward solving
The .exed problem at the meeting January p
S:n spite Of much discussion and regularly organ
szed debate, some progress was made ana me way
8opened 70 further study 1 have discussed this
question from time time IN this column, ana
whereas an In hearty sympathy with the man
who uses his ability baseball player in the
summer TO cid him IN securing education, 1t
Seems 70 that the only solution, IN order 10
prevent evasions and TO keep the innocent from
suffering with the guilty, is 10 establish hard
snd rule against playing for money no matter
Fer what good purpose. and then use every effort to
enforce it This may be easier said than done
snd may lead 2 certain amount OF hypocrisy
sud unfair dealing. but in the long run il viii
make for good It looks as II the committee on
summer baseball of the intercollegiate associa-
zion after thorough study OF the situation, largely
through the efforts Of Professor c. W. Heder-
sng-cn has reached the same conclusion. as al
she end Of 4 long ana elaborate report a recon-
x1endation was made that a subcommittee be
suuointed to frame a definition for an amateur
TO frame & definition that viii be acceptable TO
al Is no easy task and Captain Palmer L. Pierce.
president Of the association, told me after the
meeting that he had decided TO give the subject
much thought before naming his committee On
sna result Of the Iabors Of this committee much
depends. and the report will be awaited with in
Eerest
While there was much 10 praise in the meeting
If the association. there also something 70
sr3tt5se IL may assume the role OF critic. In the
first place there seemed be e disposition on the
.zrt CT some OF delegates present 70 belittle
TIE professional and hold him Up TO scorn and
lxoufuraely No good end be served by this,
as the honest professional is deserving Of the same
lseeration IN sports the honest amateur and
ssr more than the dishonest amateur Captain
Pierce assures ne that wrong impression was
EstpeH in the address or the subject by Professor
aionzo a StasF. OF Chicago University, and that
Re qualified his statements in way 70 show only
what harm certain professionals could DO by as
ISOLATION with college This may be true, but
ara frank TO confess that his scathing arraign-
zaen. % the professional baseball PLAYER left a
distinctly untavorable impression my mind TO
Say nothing OF several others who heard it There