Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-06
BASKET BALL NOW IN LINE
FavOrite Winter Sport is Command
ing Center Of the Stage.
MUCH INTEREST BEING SHOWN
various Championship, National,
state end Sectional, Are Attract
inw Teuuns 20 weigh Mettle
for High HonOrs.'


Basket ball has become one Of the prin-
cspal winter sports and IL commanding
much attention from the Amateur Ath-
Ietio union. An most every follower OF
athletics Is acquainted with the fight
made BY the ruling amateur organisation
20 keep the sport under its control but
in a measure the battle has been unsuo-
oecsful. Much progress was made to-
ward again giving the Amateur Athletic
union a grip on the game by the basket
ball committee OF the National Amateur
Athletic union during the last year. Chair
man George T. Hepbron in the annual re-
port says: Almost without exception
every report received from the territory
of each association emphasizes the IN
creased number Of leagues and teams In
that section. The league idea IL growing
each year, as evidenced by the reports
from home and foreign countries. Some
have called baslset ball the national In
door game, a. basket ball IL the national
outdoor sport, and the reports of its
marvellous growth in the last five years
certainly warrants Il a place above any
ether indoor game.
The basket ball and championship COM
nnittees Of the National Amateur Ath-
letic Union last year awarded the honor
Of conducting the national title games to
the Central association. with headquarters
at Chicago. H.. which handled the tourn-
anent in its usual businesslilke way and,
as a result, made O success of II. Big
crowds attended every match.
Much Interest In Game.
80 much interest has been manifested
in the various championships -Btate, Sec
tional and national--that the management
OF the Panama-Pacifio exposition officials
have decided TO feature the game at'the
fair next year The number Of high grade
amateur teams in action last year was 90
large that there should be no trouble In
shelving thu best basket ball at THE az
position American enthusiastic have ever
witnessed. An ideal court Is being pre-
pared and everything will be in strict ac-
cordance with the rules. 20 teams may
rest assured that they win not meet any
new conditions, II they have been playing
in accordance with the official Amateur
Athletic union regulations.
''As q means OF normally working off
pent-sn enthusiasm during the long win
ter months. no game has quite met the
demand like basket ball for our boys OF
the service, The officers in the barracks
and on our warships realize, am sure,
the value Of such game. otherwise II
would not meet with such unauthorized
approval az II has all through both arms
OF the service.
The number Of schools adopting the
league idea the last season was legion.
One new group h the county high schools.
Grammar schools, high schools and
preparatory schoois-north. south, east
ind western the United States, across the
border among our Canadian cousins, IN
South America, the Philippines. and in
other countries, such AZ China. Japan,
Korea, etc, all saw the immense value
Of leagues among sehooiboys and girls.
and are organizing in a way that makes
for permanency. interest and character,
Many schools ana colleges for ths first
time last season put basket bali In the
major sport class. supported II financially
and awarded letters for efficiency"