The San Francisco call., 1910-07-10
ATHLETICS never .
MORE REFLOURISHING
Amateur Sports Reach Height of
Popularity; All Meets
Big Successes
BY HERBERT HAUSER

Amateur athletics have never been
so popular in California as at the pres
ent time. This has been shown in the
last few months by the large lists of
entries in the various athletic games
that have been held here and in near
by cities. Four field meets were held
around the bay Independence day and
every one was a decided success
At the stadium thousands of people
focked to see the athletes compete.
while at Shell Mound park the grand
stands were filled to the limit with "a
record breaking crowd that had gath
cred at the Scottish Thistle club picnic
At Fairfax the Ancient Order of Hi
bernians held a number of interesting
contests, while at Marysville on the Sd
the largest field of athletes that ever
gathered in the Sacramento valley par
ticipated The letter carriers pic
mic last Sunday drew the largest
entry list of any picnic games ever
held. 1t is the same in all sections of
the country wherever the Amateur
Athletic union holds sway. James E.
Sullivan. the greatest amateur athletic
authority in the world, says:
From time to time dissatisfied in
dlvlduals have endeavored TO create
dissension in the A. A. u, and criti-
clsed the body unjustly. but such in
dividuals have invariably failed, as
the majority of those interested in
amateur athletics know what the situ-
alton would be without the governing
body. The A. A. U. is absolutely re-
sponsible for the healthy condition of
track and field athletics and the gen
eral interest taken in American sports.
Criticism and abuse can never take
away from that body the credit for
its % years of hard and honest work
in the interest of wholesome amateur
athletics. 1t has established laws for
the government of itself, its associa-
tions, its competing athletes, the clubs
and promoters, and these laws were
enacted after careful deliberation.
From the day of its inception it has
annually conducted the championships
in various lines of athletic sports
sometimes at great loss-in track
and field and all around events, and it
is ever ready to uphold the cause of
amateur sport. Records have fallen
one after another under it's guiding
hand until at the present time they are
at such figures that it seems hardly
possible for them to be surpassed.
1T is exceedingly interesting to note
the growth of anna teur athletics dur
ing the % years since the organiza-
tion of the Amateur Athletic
union. At that time the number
of competing athletes in the United
States was placed a 2,000 and today
the figures that have been compiled
by the A. A. U. show that millions of
young men are competing in athletics
under. the con troll of the A. A. Z. and
its allied associations. The last sta
tistie compiled by the secretary show
that more than 1000, 600 boys are TAX
ing part in competitive athletics. This
is the work that the A. A. L. has ac-
l,,h1 Il - g verNl
New York, of course, is the A. A. U.
stron ghold and its playground asso
citation which has recently joined the
A. A. u. has under its control 20 play
grounds in various sections of New
York city. There are now in New
York city 100000 young lads who ap
preciate the true value of athletic ex
ercise. The Amateur Athletic union is
today the strongest athletic governing
body in the world
Local social and athletic organiza-
tions are~just beginning to recognize
the value of amateur athletics. There
have been more amateur athletic meets
held by local organizations in the last
year than any three previous years.
The Caledonian, Thistle. Knights of
the Red Branch and half dozen other
organizations have held most success
full meets which have added consider
ably to their treasures as a good field
of entries at track and field meet
draws the people and keeps them in
terested. Six years ago there were in
the neighborhood of 400 registered
amateur athletes in this state. Today
the combined membership of the
southern California and the local as
ISOLATION of the A. A L. numbers 5000.
This shows the remarkable growth of
organized amateur athletics in Cali
fornia.