The Pleasantville press., 1912-11-13


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 it 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 a professional
coach and athlete as an instructor or
player generally is short.
Coaches hold up to the prospective
freshman the opportunity they will
have to become coach after their
college course is completed. They tell
him how much money it will be possi-
BILE to earn, and what 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.
He has. worked three Of four years
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 a job for next season.
Meanwhile, what does the now fam
GUS coach do during his off season
He may turn to his profession OF
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 speciality. They are
good in one or two branches of ath
letics, but not in all. Athletic sports
come at different seasons of the year
therefore but few of the coaches are
engaged for the season. The baseball
player has his winter, when there IL
nothing doing. 1t is plain to be seen tha
the off season spoils the extra earned
during the busy season.
OF course there are exceptions tt
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 much
dreaded but inevitable end of the
mans career as professional athlete
1t may be caused to the professional
player by strained tendon, i'll health
or, in the case of baseball player, BY
an arm going bad. At any rate, there
is bound to be an end, or at least 6
drop. The coach may become, If ht
does not watch out, what the students
are pleased to term ancient. Ther
the manager of the different teams II
urged to get new coach.
Every year these men spring some
thing new. 1t is these coaches tha
the other teams fear-not the players
These men are examples of the excel
lege star who turned professional and
made athletics their life work, ant
have proved successful.
Where the few succeed as profes
sion athletes many fail. The reasons
for these failures are many and varied
Sometimes the young athlete. gets init
fast company, and gets discouraged
and quits. Sometimes the new coacl
has not en- ugh mNterial to work with
In fact, an old timer could not make
team out of the candidates that ap
pear on the field
1t 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 freshman, too Otter
prove pipe dreams. Then often, at
ter he does. get place, he loses ou
because of some reason like those
have named or one similar. He thel
turns to his trade or profession, bu
the classmate who got busy as soon al
he. left college at that trade or profes
sion has a years start at the begin
ming. Has it paid him to enter thu
ranks of the professional athlete?