The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-17

the best kind Of a sporting PROPOSE
tlon. The tendency often is for
smaller cities to be too ambitious and
try to maintain clubs in leagues con-
tanning cities with which :hey can
not compete except at a loss
Glass of League Factor.
This was Illustrated some years ago
by an eastern city of which the writer
has authentic information from the
inside For seven or eight years this
city tried to support a team in u class
a league and there always was a de-
tic!t Finally the fans and business
f44ea-ere tired of EufnE into Their
pockets 10 support club merely for
the advertisement OF focliing with
bigger cities on the sporting pages of
newspapers.
One wise man took over the club
and obtained a franchise in a class B
league composed of nearby cities with
which there was a more bitter rivalry.
In i've years that wise man made a
comfortable fortune without any out
side backing. sold hts franchise at
fair figure and another owner has
since started a good sized bank roll
with the same property.
The chief reason for the existence
DE- too many leagues is the belief
which almost every baseball fan en-
tertains that he knows all about the
game from every angle There is
nothing concerning which people
think they know more and actually
know less. Somebody irtersts q eli
que Of business men who are fans in
the backing of team in a small city
They start out with the idea it is
merely matter Of spending money
enough to win a pennant in oruer to
make the club pay They find it
more difficult To get a winning team
than they thought, and If they get
one the financial results dc not always
prove satisfactory. After a season
or perhaps two seasons, they are
ready 10 quit bat they can usually
find some one willing TO take their
elephant off their hands.
Another combination Of fans In the
same town gets together and buys the
club, largely for the purpose Of show
ING up the other fellows. They, too
think they know all about It and that
their prede cessors were a bunch OF
b0Obs. They run up against the same
problems and obstacles and get wiser
as they learn more about baseball
with the result that in little while
4HtN are ptflt'tlN NlillfE 10 ACkIfONI~
edge they don't know it all and pass
the club along TO any one else who
thinks he does IT takes quite n while
for all the Prosperous citizens of a
small city TO learn now little they
know about running . ball club, and
that's one of the main reasons why
SO many towns remain in baseball at
n considerable annual expense to the
men who back the clubs.
The more practical baseball men,
who have had experience in the game
from the ground up there are in
league the better its chances ror pros
per!ty. ms a rule The graduate from
the players ranks who were born with
or have acquired some business ability
have made good as baseball promoters
almost without exception, and some of
them have acquired fortunes. while
better business men, who know little
or nothing about baseball, have lost
money or gone broke.
Luck plays some part and fools
there are who have prospt red as base
bah hackers bur they are few and
there usually has been reason In the
shape If som. wiser guy in the back
ground