The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-11
Rules Prohibiting Summer Ball
Playing Not Enforced.
is EASY TO DODGE,
Many Players Earn College Ex-
penses by Playing.
Driven Into Double Violation OF
Assumed Names.

Philadelphia, Jan. 1.-THE National
intercollegiate Athletic association. hav-
ing solved the problem of how to re-
form and control football, has turned
its attention to college baseball. The
evils which thrive wherever college
baseball is played are older and harder
to eradicate than those which had TO
be rooted out of football. Indeed the
association is just now beginning TO
realize the immensely of it's task. Al
though there is no unanimity on the
point, there are two results which the
association seems to think necessary
to purify college football. They may
be set down as follows:
1. The Introduction of a system of
graduate coaching.
2. The abolition of summer ball play
ing.
Just how complicated is the problem
with which the association has to deal
may be best understood by the replies
received from the various colleges OF
the association to which this question
was submitted:
Are the rules on amateurism in
baseball enforced in your locality?'
This question" said the report of
the association. was worded unfortu-
nately, since it is not possible to say
with exactness whether the rules are
enforced in a given locality or not. 1t
would have been better to have phraSed
the question so as to apply to the in
6titutiOn reporting. In New England,
for instance, about half the colleges
try to enforce amateur rules strictly
and others do not. Thirty-flVe colleges
reported that they were enforcing the
rules and nine others that they were
enforcing them fairly we'll; two others
that they were enforcing them except
as regards summer ball. These 46 col
leges apparently approve of strict anna
teur rules. Eighteen colleges reported
that the rules were not being enforced
strictly. One other college reported
that the rules were being enforced bet
ter than previously"
Although it would be difficult for one
to prove his contention without con-
siderable sleuthing. nearly every one
sports, particularly baseball, knows
perfectly well that the actual situation
regarding strict amateurism in base
ball does not justify the rather rosy re-
port given here of the situation. The
statement that 35 colleges reported that
they were enforcing a1nateurism in
baseball means that they are enforc-
ing the rule regarding summer base
ball, for this is the most glazing Vio-
lation of anateuriSm. One would not
be far from the truth in making the
assertion that there is hardly a big or
small college in the whole country that
every year does not use one or more
players who plays summer baseball.
Inc statement L0dI If16 rule Is Doing
enforced, when it is not. argues not
that the representatives at the annual
convention deliberately falsify the sit
uation, but rather that they close their
eyes to the real situation. They know
that this is an evil with which they
can not cope, and they take no more
notice of it than they are obliged to-
Certainly they make no effort to ascer-
tain whether or not the rule is being
violated. If the evidence is presented
to them they are willing to take &C
ton, but few of them are looking for
trouble.
Can Not Stop Summer Ball.
The fact of the matter is that sum-
mer baseball can not be stopped by the
machinery which the National Inter
collegiate Athletic association has al
it's command. Every college that has
tried it has been obliged to confess
its failure. Brown university, for in
stance, has given it up as a hopeless
undertaking. Realizing that college base
ball men will play summer ball in spite
of all the rules that can be passed, the
Brown authorities gave their students
permission to play the game during the
summer, and to receive payment fol-
their services the only stipulation they
made being that the men should conf1ne
their playing to the small leagues. At
ter several years of effort, Brown re-
CARDS the experiment as a success, in
spite Of the fact that the men whe