Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-08
PROFESSIONALISM IN
| COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Impossible to Keep Men From Play
ing Semi-Pro. Ball in ',
Summer.
PROBLEM A HARD ONE
FOR N. I. A. A. TO COMBAT
Princeton Arranging Most Difficult
Foot Ball Schedule It Has
Ever Attempted.
By Edward R. Bushnell.

Assocjat ton having solved the problem
of how to reform and control foot bal
has turned its attention to college base
ball The evils which thrive wherever
college base ball is played are older
and harder 10 eradicate than those
which had to be rooted out or foot baH
Indeed. the association is just now be-
ginning to realize the immensely OF It's
task.
Although there is no unanimity or
tho point. there are two results which
the association seems to think neces-
sary to purify college base ball. They
may be set down as follows:
L. The introduction OF a system of
graduate coaching.
,. The abolition of summer ball play
ing. ez
Iust how complicated is the problem
With which the association has 10 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 amateurlsm IN pdse
han enforced in your locality
.sThis question" said the report OF
the association. was wordeu un-
fortunately. since IL IS not posslpie "
say with exactneSs whether the luleS
are enforced in a given locauty u no..
1t would have been better 10 haso
phrased the question so as TO Apply U
the institution reporting. In New Ens
land, for instance. about nan tho -. -.
leges try 10 enforce amateur Iuieo
strictly and others do not. Thlrty-nNe
colleges reported that they were en-
forcing the rules, and nine otneFs thue
they were enforcing them falrly Wen,
two Others that they were enforcing
~lss VI.
them, except as regards suIilieI g.
These forty-six colleges apparently APP
proye of strict amateur rules flehtcen
Colleges reported that the rules were
not being enforced strictly. one olneI
college reported that the ruies
bainr enforced better than previously.
Report Is Not Correct. "
Al,bonph II would be difficult for one
=, nrove his contention without consid-
erable sleuthing. nearly every one VINO
Is in close touch with college sports,
particularly base ball. knows perfectly
Well that the actual situation regarding
s,r,et amateurism In base bail does not
iustifv the rather rosy report gwen mere
of the situation. The statement tnat
thirty-five colleges reported tndl theS
we're enforcing amateurism In pase Dali
means that they are enioreing .n th,s rus &c
the most glaring violation OF ainateurlsn
one would not be far from the truth
in making the assertion that there
hardly a big or small college III the
whole country that every year does hot
use one or more play eis "io Pi"'
mer base ball. :. h.,n
enforced when IL is not argues not tha1
the representatives at the amman con
hut rather that they close their eyes 20
the real situation. They know that THIS
is an evil with which they cannon cope,
and they take no more notice OF IL than
they are Obliged to: Certai h t On yot the
rules are being violated. Ii the evil
dence is presented 10 them they are VIII
ling to take action, but Few OF them are
looking for trouble.
The fact Of the matter Is that summer
base ball cannot be stopped by the ma
rhinery which the National lntercoiie-
g,ate Athletic Association has at It's coui-
mand. Every college that mas trleu II
has been Obliged to CONFESS It's iaIiuIo.
Brown University. for instance, has given
IL up as a hopeless undertaking. Reaiz-
ing that college base ball men VIII play
summer ball In spite or all the rules thae
can be passed the Brown authorities gave
their students. permission 10 play !me
game during the summer and TO receive
payment for their services, the only sup
ulation they made being that the men
should confine their playing 10 the sman
leagues. After several years Oh cru.
Brown regards the experiment as sue
cess in spite Of the fact that the men
who utilize this permission are really pro-
fessionalS.
In the middle west the Conference As
ISOLATION has tackled the problem, but II
hss evolved no satisfactory solution. For
instance the best the conference couid
do was 10 pass a rule TO permit members
OF their teams to play ball with team
which engaged professional batter!. II
other
players on the teams were not to be paid
FOR their services. This rule possibly did
some good by allowing those students
who love the game for itself to play II,
but 1t failed TO go to the root OF the sum
mer ball evil .
What the " I A. A. must realize 10
that a college base bah star can pick up
enough money during his summer Facd,
ton 10 give him a year at coiiege Anu
IL he cannot play under his right name ne
win ,rlay under an assumed name, thus
doubly violating the amateur rule 80
strong Is this temptation and so read1ly
can the rule be violated that II Is actual
~ violated with the greatest or freedom
This association should not consider that
the rule is being enforced. In fact, the
situation is no better than IL ever was,
except In so far as college sentlment Is
turning against the summer ball player,
and there is difference OF opinion even
on this point.
Want Professional Coaches.
Some Of the ardent reformers appear 10
think that all base ball coaching should
be done b graduates. preferably MEM
nor. az the faculty. 1t is hard TO discuss
this proposition with patience when IT Is
seriously put forth. Nearly every big uni
yersity in the east has tried the expert
ment and pronounced II a dismal and I'M
qualified failure. Even Harvard. where
.rar lN
ceiyed most support has this year en-
gagged a professional coach and not even
a graduate OF Harvard lie is DR. Sex
ton, a graduate of Brown. Both Yale and
Pennsylvania tried the amateur graduate
coach and both were glad at the first OPP
10 an la nd ont