The Washington times., 1914-07-07
National Pastime Depends on
Loyalty and Sentiment for
Its Success as Sport.

CINCINNATI, July 1.-Ball players
who jump their contracts or threaten
to jump them are the greatest enemies
OF the national game and OF all Other
players. Scarcely any Of the players
realize this fact. but 1t is the truth
and every careful observer in the coun-
try knows 1t to be so. Baseball Is a
sport which depends for its success
on local sentiment and loyalty of the
fans for one side or the other.
While the game is a splendid spec
tacle in itself, the fact remains that
the element OF contest and the desire OF
the fans to have their team win Is the
most important thing about 1t from a
drawing standpoint. The fans like to
think of their fayorites as heroes. who
are out there trying their best to bring
home the victory.
Hero-worship, however, falters before
the money grabbing and contract-break-
ing greed inspired in certain athletes
by the Federal League agents. The
season IL nearly one-half over and the
Reds have played in every city in the
National Leaue. and two and three
times in some Of them. The spirit of
the fans Is waning all over the coun-
try.
In four games at Chicago last week.
In beautiful weather and with the two
teams fighting for second place and the
Cubs with an excellent chance to over.
haul the Giants for the pennant. there
was not a single crowd of over 5000.
Last year that series would have
drawn 5000 or 10000 every day. or
nearly as many in one day as 1t drew
in four days this year. The reason Is
simple. The fans. surfeited with base
bali and disgusted over the long
stories Of contract-jumping. for de-
mands for extravagant salaries. are
Just staying away. They have lost
interest in the great sport They
cannot go out and enthuse over
player who has already proclaimed
that he will jump his signed contract
next day and desert his club IL the
opposition will give him so many
thousand dollars in cash. No one can
root hard for a player OF that kind
There is a stain and doubt which
causes the honest bugs to lose their
enthusiasm.
The players are impressing 1t forci-
bly, upon the minds of the fans that
they are in the game solely for the
money they can get, that they have
no loyalty or. sometimes. not even
common honesty, and that they will
go where the coin lies thickest, no
matter how many contracts they may
have to break to get there. This Is
what Is hurting the national sport.
and will eventually kill 1t, IL con-
tlnued mucn longer.
Unfortunately ball players have so far
been unable to grasp this basic fact Of
the present situation. Dazzled By the
promise of large sums of moUsy and
by the legal verbiage OF Fed
eral agents hired to bribe star athletes
to jump. they fall for the STUFF that Is
running the game as great sport-the
greatest of them all. The players are
the only ones VINO do not see tbs con-
dition.
II is a common thing to hear a play
er say, as If he was getting off quite
a brilliant remark: I'm in the game
1 Will have only a limited number CT
years to play ball. and l an entitled
to get all / can while my ability holds
out. They tell me these contracts won't
hold in the courts, so / don't consider
myself bound by them. Show ma the
coin, and / will jump from here to
Kamchatka.'
Sentiments like these are comoE even
among the better class of athletes. anu
are usually warmly applauded by the
athletic listeners. 1t Is this thouShtless
stuff that Is putting the game back
sadly. Very few players have any real
respect for a contract. so far as they
are concerned. OF course. they eApcc.
the club to live up to it in all its de-
tails and pay them their salary reSu-
laTly, WITHOUT ldllp even IL bhtS
down painfully in what was expected
of them, and do not begin TO earn the
fat sums that are handed to them
twice every month.
As to their own obligations. they feei
free to jump them II they can get
higher offer from an outlaw league.
This is the spirit of unfairness when
The fans are beginning to find out, ana
which is taking away the prestige OF
the players.
The writer has heard dozens and
scores of prominent men. not connect
ed with baseball officially. but always
Interested and good rooters, express the
opinion this season that baseball was no
sport any more. but only grab Tor Dig
money, and that consequently they had
lost all interest in the game and never
attended any more. The empty seats In
he grandstands at all big parks show
hat this is 4 prevalent opinion.
A very Important railroad man In chi
,ago said last week: II have quit them
ccId. l used to think Chances Cubs
we're great fellows and admired them
all personally az well as players. They
always tried to win. Up to this year !
nave never missed a game of ball that
could possibly get to, either at the
West or the South Side. This year |
lave been out only once. All winter 1
cad nothing in the papers but talks
bout jumping contracts and getting |
00OI a year, when 7 nnpw the man
wasn't worth half that. and ! got dis
susted. l don't feel like roofing for
hem any moro as I did. I'm playing
,oif noU, Ard 10 are hundr0dl az my