South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-20
INTEREST CROWS
IN WORLD SERIES
Chicago and st. Louis Fought
Out Hot Championship Back
in Eighties But Gate Re-
ceiptS Did Not Show 1t.

NEW YORK. Oct 19.-No clearer
or more positive illustration of the
extraordinary interest taken by the
public IN the annual worlds cham
piOnship series Of baseball games can
De desired than that furnished by
glance at the financial results. a state
ment Of which is officially announced
at the end OF each post season com
petition for the coveted title and flag
Through the box office its popularity
can easily be measured Compared
with the meager returns at the initial
series in 1854, the enormous crowds
registered by the clicking turnstiles
show that by leaps and bonds the at
tendance in recent years has assumed
such gigantic proportions that there
is no telling what il may amount 20
in years 20 come.
The first championship games be-
tween the Providence Grays and the
MetropOlitans may have been only
lightly attended. and there is nothing
on record TO show what the receipts
amounted 10 for the three games then
played. as Providence won three
straight The following year how
ever. when seven games were played
in four different Cities-ChiCagO. st.
Louis, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati
the financial result was about $4,000.
That year the fight was a hot one be-
tween the Chicago Nationals and the
American Association club of St
Louis, and one can hardly imagine
what would be the yield just now if
such a series we're possible over a
similar circuit
BIeacher Seats 1.-TWO Bits"
OF course in those days seats in the
bleachers could be had for two bits"
and the best seats in the grand stand
brought the top price of half dol
lar. Even at these rates there could
not have been much enthusiasm,
Judging from the results. Today.
however. prices have scared SO that a
single admission costs a dollar, that
is the face value of the little card
board, and the holder of one of these
is considered lucky If il has not cost
him more than thrice that amount
In 1887, when Detroit and st. Louis
played fourteen games in nearly
dozen cities, the receipts amounted TO
S42. 1000, about $4,000 a game, which
was then considered a large amount
The following year $24,362 was taken
in for the ten games played by New
York and St Louis. The first year OF
the Temple Cup series, 1894, four
games were played and the average
per game was $4 500 at Baltimore and
New York. There was a falling off
a year later. when the Cleveland-Bal-
timore series of five games realized
only S14.750.
Admission Price Advanced.
In 1903. when the first series was
played between the pennant winning
teams OF the National and American
leagues eight games brought a little
more than $500 There was no
contest in 1904. but a year later there
was an advance in the prices of ad-
mission and S6S.4O5 was taken in for
five games at Philadelphia and New
York, but the attendance fell TO 91,-
723. as compared with more than
100, 000 two years previously. The at
tendance dropped TO 5000 in 1908
for the ChicagO-Detroit series but
the receipts jumped to nearly 5,0O0.
A marked increase in attendance
and receipts were registered in 1909
when 145,2O5 persons paid $183,302
To see the seven games series between
Pittsburgh and Detroit Philadelphia
and Chicago played five games in
1910 before 124.222 persons, with gate
receipts of $173,9SO. and this amount
was almost doubled the following year
when 179.S51 persons contributed
SS42.164 to see the Philadelphia and
New York series OF six games.
The One Big Year.
This was a mighty jump. but IL was
ecHpsed in 1912, the banner year for
attendance and financial results The
Boston Americans and New York Ma
them resulting in a tie, that year. and
IL was estimated that 900 specta-
tCrs saw the prOtracted series. which
dfew $490,449- This enormous in
crease, was OF course, due TO the eN-
ira games that were required, but last
year. when only five games were need