The Detroit times., 1913-01-28
Sympathy Expressed for Big In-
dian Athlete Who Confesses
Professionalism
REGISTRATION METHODS
SEVERELY CONDEMNED
Want to know Why They Didn't
Discover Jim's Crime Be
fore Olympic Games

NEW YORK. Jan. 2s.--Nothing but
expressions of sympathy were heard
in every quarter over the plight Of
Jim" Thorpe. the big Indian athlete,
who was yesterday condemned out OF
his own mouth" OF the sin OF profes-
sionalism. because he played baseball
"a true American sport--with now
defunct league and has thus been read
out OF amateur athletics, and all OF
the trophies that he won by his gal
liant work in sweden ordered returned
to the Olympic committee.
But there was much bitter con-
demnation for the management Of the
A. A. u. for the manner In which IL
has handled the Thorpe case. as con-
trasted with hundreds Of cases OF real
professionalism right here In the Met
ropolitan district.
The committee did right, II was
conceded, in repudiating Thorpe. ans
In ordering the return OF all his prizes
But there was an under current OF re-
sentiment that the committee had NOT
taken cognizance OF the fact that the
big Indian had played professional
baseball before his olympic eztry was
put through. 1t was admitted that n
the A. A. u. had any real method Of
investigation, the farce which will
certainly be seized upon by the ma
4 tions on the other side of the pond"
TO renew their attacks upon American
athletic methods would have been
prevented.
The present registration methods or
the A. A. u. are antiquated. There are
. any number OF professionals masquer-
aiding as amateurs, and II was pointed
. out that Thorpe. who played the game
for the love or II, had been disqua1i-
: fed, although he received very little
money, while Brickley, the Harvard
football star: Flynn, of Yale, and a
score OF others during the recent foot
ball season earned more for one arti-
Gle from their pens-and In most In
stances they did not actually write a
sentence-than Thorpe did for q
whole season OF ball playing In the
bushes" But they retain their anna
! teur standing.
There was general feeling among
the real lovers OF athletics today that
something should be done to give jim
Thorpe the recognition that his
mighty deeds deserved, despite the
fact that all OF the records he estab-
lished are now automatically wiped
out by the action of the A. A. u.
Thorpe's clean breast OF the matter.
saving time and trouble, was accept
ed as real proof OF sportsmanship,
and although the trophies OF royalty
| will go to others, sporting experts
unanimously conceded Today that
Thorpe will be more respected than
ever for not having tried to lie out
OF it, as other amateurs have done in
tho past, and have gotten away with
II" because the A. A. u. committees
have not been too persistent In their
Investigations.
The trophies won by Thorpe are al
ready en- route to Jim Sullivan's ONCE
and will be Immediately sent back to
Sweden, to be given to the contest
ants who finished second to the incom-
parable indian.
AS a result OF the disqualification OF
Thorpe the United States still re-
mains In the lead In the readjusted
program of the results OF the last
olympic games, but Sweden gets sec
ond place in the list. In the decathlon
Swedish athletes finished second.
! third and fourth to the American. Ave
points are added TO their total, making
them 80 and putting them ahead OF
Finland
The total OF the United States is
reduced from So TO 76 through the
loss Of the Thorpe points. J.J Dona-
hue, OF the United States, takes sec
ond instead OF third In the pentathlon.
first honors in which now go TO +. r.
Bic, OF Norway. F. 4. bukemar. OF
Canada, moves up from fourth to third.
This gives Norway seven points in
stead OF four and Canada 16 instead
OF 10.