Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-13

- tl-LLGE diHattt~ use 'hthbN
over arr tolerant or an the rules
prescribing and hedging i'm
amateur standing except those reIa.-
ing TO the playing of summer base
ball.
These last have become so numo--
Gus ana So drastic during the last
ten yeaIs thar protests have come
not alone from the college players
themselves, bu, from other sources
as Well
Many sporting writer's consider the
prcsan. rules ats"-d ~ their severity.
Managers Of professional and semi
professional clubs rail at their allag-
ed Stiffness. for ihcy deprive these
managers of opportunities TO get
many fine college players during the
summer Naturally. too the friends
Of the college players, and they are
legion. sympa ,hize with them as well
II has been pointed out time and
again that there is nothing immoral
in "A college man or anybody else
the summer or any other time. How
ever, this is not question OF moral
ity, but of amateur standing. Num-
beers of things may be against the
law yet not be immoral; but If one
does something unlawful one g,u-
orally gets himself into trouble vita
the law whether ones conscience be
free from any intent Of wrongdoing
OF not.
PY the college rules it is declared
- that college athlete forteits
his right to represent his college fur
Their i'm intercollegiate sport If ne
breaks certain rules regarding sum
mer baseball playing. If the man
goes ahead and breaks the rules he
does nothing that will earn him "a jail
sentence. or that viii even cause his
expulsion from college; but he does
disbar himself from further college
playing for infringement of certain
rules: while for other breaches Of the
law he forfeits his entire amateur
standing in any and all kinds Of attn
letic contests between amateurs.
Decreeing that player after once
entering college shall not thereafter
play with a team that does not natl
from his home county, even though
ne takes no money. not even expenses.
for II. is a particularly severe rule IN
the South To break this rule does
not mean that the viOlatOr loses his
amateur standing. assuming that ne
did not prOfe ssiunallze himself ny
taking a salary for the playing. But
il appeared to the s. l. \. 4. repre-
to of haF
cities and counties to play baseball
during the summer when there was
already a team. or half "A dozen Of
them. perhaps. in the boys home
town. city or county was in itself a
mighty suspicious circumstance. As
suspicions alone cannot be held to 5e
ground on which to disbar a man,
however, while facts are very hard 20
get hold of and 10 prove, they de-
Cided the simplest way out OF the
mess was TO prevent the boy from
placing himself in a suspicious posi-
tion. So they forbade him altogether
from playing with teams that did not
belong i'm his home county
Still this is very hard on the boys,
for their home team may be one that
is not up In baseball class 20 the
individual ability Of the particular
hoy and of course he would in THAI
case prefer 20 play with BETTE
foam or his home county may not
nave team Of any kind in il. rs is
often enough the case, and then
What is ne 10 do2 or suppose he s
away from his home county on va
cation. or working I'm another county
for the summer. still he can play 20
baseball while there. no matter that
II be the purest amateur team IN th'
world and that he doesn't get even
street car fare TO participate.
In other words, the only way
college boy can get chance 10 p-ay
and enjoy the great national game
during the summer. and get the pr3e-
lice that he desires in order 10 make
1frnse1f proficient in the game is 20
stay at home the whole sumner. and
fFsr under any and all conceivable
circumstances Virtually he is. ny
f1a rule. made and held prisoner ot
one county Of one State t1- entire
SIMMER Of every year while taking a
college course. under penalty Of be-
ing deprived Of his chance 20 par
-lciuste in intercollegiate baseball
forever after. which participation IS,
In the abstract perfectly Innocent
harmless. beneficial and commeudah-r
right
THORPES case was not So se-
l we're as that of the average