The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-10-06
ATTENDANCE 1t
WORLD SERIES
WILL Be | ARGE
Finance Returns Have Grown
by Leaps and Bounds
Last Few Years.

NEW YORK. Oct 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 be desired than that furnished
by glance at the financial results.
a statement of which is officially an
nounced at the end Of each post-sea-
son competition for the coveted title
and flag Through the box office its
popularity can easily be measured
Compared with the meagre returns
at the initial series in 1894 the enor-
nous crowds registered by the click
ing turnstiles show that by leaps and
bounds the ATTENDANCE in recent
years has assumed such gigantic pro-
portions that there is no telling what
it may amount to in years to come
First Series i'm 1884
The first championship games be-
tween the Providence "Grays, and
the Metropolftans may have been
only lightly attended and there Is
nothing on record to show what the
receipts amounted to for the three
games then played, as Providence
won three straight. The following
year, however, when seven games
were played in four different cities.
Chicago, st. Louis, Pfttsburg and
Cincinnati, the financial result was
about $4,000. That year the fight
was a hot one between the Chicago
Nationals and the American Assoc
can hardly imagine what would be
the just now If such series were
possible over similar circuit.
OF course in those days seats In
the bleachers could bel had. for two
bits" and the best seats in the grand
stand brought the top price OF hair
a dollar. Even at those rates there
could not have been much enthus-
fasm Judging from the results. To-
day. however, prices have scared so
that a single admission costs dol
lar, or rather that is the face value
of the little cardboard and the hold
er of one of these is considered lucky
| IL it has not cost him more than
thrice that amount.
Fabulous Prices
In the early days Of the WORLDS
Series tickets were easily obtained
at the regular prices and no one hao
Ito worry as to whether he would get
to his fayorite seat for one or All
of fhe games. This easy method OF
satisfying ones baseball appetite
disappeared years ago and fabulous
prices, are offered for ordinary seats
in the stands not to speak OF the I'M
mense prices demanded for the ex-
elusive coupons which entft1e the
possessor to view the game from a
comfortably upholstered chair In one
of the boxes. of which there are sew
eral rows in the newly built STANDS
From the moment that the pen
nant in each of the major leagues
appears to be heading for certain
city or club. the would-be spectator
begins to worry as to how ne Is go
one or more of the contests and the
fight for tickets begins. For weeks
before the end of the regular season
re,uests are sent for reservations,
,but it is safe to say that fifty per
cent of these result in disappoint-
ments. Long lines form in the yictn-
ity of the playing grounds the night
before each battle and fancy prices
are given to the persons who await
their turn in these files for the re-
suit OF their long vigil The big
prices that are paid for tickets IN
this way do not increase the receipts
so far as the PLAYERS or CLUBS are
concerned, as the box Office returns
are not influenced by the exorb1tant
amounts asked. in fact demanded
by the holder of the choice coupon;
i
In 1887 when Detroit and st.
Louis played fourteen games in
nearly dozen cities the receipts
amounted to $4,000 about $4,000
a game which was then considered
a large amount. The following year
s24, 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 average per game was
500 at Baltimore and New York.
There was a falling off a year when
the Cleveland-Baltimor series OF
1--WE games realized only $14, $50.
In 1903 when the first series was
nlayed between the pennant-wfnning
teams of the National and American
leagues. eight games brought little
over $4,000. There was no contest
in 1904 but a year later there was
an advance in the prices Of admis-
nn~ M rTrrxy YTITn TO