Evening journal., 1914-07-30
STOP Money TALK
AND SAVE BASEBALL
Fans Have Become Tired
Of Hearing Of Leagues
Internal Strife
FORGET BUSINESS
SIDE OF GAME

All the talk that has been going
the rounds OF organized baseball this
season about $4,000 contracts, ex-
pcnditures Of $4,000 for such and
such an outfeld, bids and counter
bids Of large amounts for players,
and truths and untruths about the
"despised' Federal League, have
awakened Mr.. Fan to the painful
realization that he is expected to pay
the freight on these commodities OF
the national game. In most cities Of
any consequence, said Mr. Fan has
refused, and baseball is suffering as
a result.
Column after column has been
written about the baseball tangles Of
the present year and thousands of
reams of paper have been consumed
by baseball reporters showing one
side or the other OF the situation,
but not many sports writer's have
told the whole truth-that baseball
has ceased to be a sport and has de-
generated into a business That the
fans throughout the country know the
exact facts. however. is readily seen
in the attendance figures of the major
end minor leagues.
Money has been the keynote of
every transaction witnessed this sea-
eon in connection with baseball.
Players put II first, managers bow to
il and club owners have joined in
the mad scramble with the others in
quest Of II. They have featured 1t
ard kept II in the limellght until the
actual playing of the game-the only
part in which the general public Is
interested been thrust into the
shadows of inslgnificance.
1t is high time club owners and
Players realized this condition cannot
continue and baseball. their liveli-
hood, survive on the same plane OF
popular favor ii has so long enjoyed.
They are killing the sport The
jumping Of contracts, the continued
squabble about money, the talk Of
strikes and similar trouble. the work
ing rapidly to the detriment Of the
game. II won't take long to scatter
TO the four winds the support the
game has had. There was a time
when the business side Of baseball
was successfully covered. leaving the
This year. however, the fan has
forgotten about the standing Of the
clubs, which team is playing good
hall and which one is not, in the con-
tinual recurrence of internal trouble.
nc grabs his newspaper, not to see
which team won, but to look for some
article about star who has jumped
or another who has quit because the
Grand Organized National Frater-
nifty Of Not-To-Be-Rule Players As
sociation' demanded that he play
with Kalamazoo at S10,555.55"
year. instead Of with Oshkosh at
Sl0,555.53" a year Fandom has been
fed on a diet Of dollars and cents
Players are just as much to blame
for this condition as the magnates.
They are and have been paid well
for their services. With the growth
of the game their salaries have in
creased far more rapidiy and In
greater proportion than in any com
mercial enterprise Many OF the
players now demand incomes that ex-
ceed by many hundreds and in some
cases thousands, of dollars any sum
they could earn in any other line of
endeavor. On the other hand. especi-
ally in the larger leagues. the mag
mates realize a greater percentage Of
profit on their investments than they
could in other amusement enter
prises. They, too, should be satisfied.
Club owners and players are de-
pendent upon the patronage OF the
fam They are indebted to the fan.
Yet they have assumed the arrogant
attitude Of dictators and the fans
have, for the first time in years. re-
sented i and withdrawn their patron
age. The condition will change and
the fan will be won back to the ma
tional game Just as the sport is placed
en- q basis with other sports and the
money idea eliminated entirely or.
al least pushed into the BACKGROUND.
where the fan will not come into con
tact with it.