Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1912-10-29


a. little better
than his team mates has his past rec
ord looked into. Then, after defend
ing his amateur standing through his
college course, he, four times out OF
five, finally turns professional
Has he gained by 1t or not? is the
questioned often asked. Coaches and
trainers, as well as professional ath-
letes who take active part In playing
games, generally receive what is con-
sidered good money. It is right that
they should, as the life Of professional
coach and athlete as an instructor or
player generally is short
Coaches hold up to the prospective
freshman the opportunity they viii
have to become coach after their
college course is completed. They tell
him how much money it viii be possi-
BILE to earn, and what a large number
of offers of good positions they have
for their former athletes. 1t looks
good to the freshman.
He goes to school, and oftentimes
pays more attention to athletics than
to his subjects, although not as much
of this is true now as formerly, when
strict rules were not enforced as to
study standards. The freshman forgets
the old college saying, Sport for sports
sake" and plays simply for reputa-
ton, to be in greater demand when he
is through school and wants a position
as a coach.
1 L.1 .P uroo r-u
to reach the place where he now
stands in college athletics. Then
comes his chance to turn professional
and be a coach, or sign up as player
on some professional. ball nine. May
be he is successful. He has made
good. He develops a championship
team, or plays ball on team in the
first division of some ball league.
He has job for next season.
Meanwhile, what does the now fam
: GUS coach do during his off season?
J He may turn to his profession or
trade, but more than likely there is
no place open for him with the trade
and the man with the profession has
> no clients or patients, as the case
might be, waiting for him.
There are few good men who are
good all round athletes and, therefore
good all round coaches. Most ath
letes have their specially. They are
good in one or two branches of ath
letics, but not in all. Athletic sports
! come at different seasons of the year
4 therefore but few of the coaches are
4 engaged for the season. The baseball
t player has his winter, when there il
nothing doing 1t is plain to be seen tha
S the off season spoils the extra earned
r during the busy season.
1 OF course there are exceptions Il
t this rule. / am considering the gen
eral run of the PROFESSIONALISM
men who depend only on the money
earned during the athletic season.
Then comes the end-the mucl
e dreaded but inevitable end of the
O mans career as professional athlete
1t may be caused to the professional
player by a strained tendon, i'll healtl
!. or, in the case of a baseball player, b,
!. an arm going bad. At any rate. ther'
r is bound to be an end, or at least |
> drop. The coach may become. If h
does not watch out, what the student
are pleased to term ancient Thei
the manager of the different teams 4
urged to get new coach.
Every year these men spring some
+ thing new. 1t is these coaches tina
\ the other teams fear-not the players
y These men are examples OF the excel
y lege star who turned professional ant
, made athletics their life work, AM
have proved successful.
Where the few succeed as profes
sion athletes many fail The reason
for these failures are many and varied
Sometimes the young athlete gets int
N fast company. and gets discourage
and quits. Sometimes the new coacl
/. has not enough material to work with
F., In fact, an old timer could not max
team out of the candidates that al
pear on the field
II is hard matter for the young ath
lete Just out Of college and just enter
ing professional ranks to get started
The great offers of his coach, mad
when he was a freshman, too ofte
prove pipe dreams. Then often, Al
n ter he does get place. he loses on
because of some reason like those
have named or one similar. He the
n turns to his trade or profession. bu
the ciassmate who got busy as soon a
"A he left college at that trade or profe'
sion has years start at the begiI
ming. Hes It paid him TO enter tn
u ranks Of the professional athlete?
N Copyright, 1912. by Universal Press SyI
IN dfcafel