The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-01-26
| BOXING,
| WRESTLING.
| AOUATICS,
| TENNIS, POLO
SUMMER BALL
OLD QUESTION
Park Davis Gives Some of His.
tory of the Controversy

New York, Jan. 26.-That summer
baseball" the most important issue
in current college athletics, is not a
modern sports evil is attested by
parke Davis i'm treatise recently
prepared on this subject. He writes:
THE testimony of experience is
strongly against the practicability Of
summer baseball In the early days
Of the diamond the decade OF the EOS,
eastern college stars were i'm great
demand by the professional teams, for
in that period, the college nine, par
ticuarly Harvard, Princeton and
Yale we're superior to the city mines.
For time there WAS no objection To
the collegans playing with the pro-
iessOnals during the summer vacation.
although the former openly were paid
for their services. In the spring OF
1879 however, two famous college
PLAYERS from the same institution,
Who after graduation were playing
With great city nine, suddenly left
'Ae professional team, re-entered col
leSe and by their presence lifted their
college nine from the rear to the
lIont in the Intercollegiate campaign.
This spectacular occurrence natur-
aly conferred attention upon the sub
Fd Of professionalism. AS a result
q the agitation which followed, six
colleges, namely, Amhurst, Brown.
Yarmouth, Princeton and Yale, met
ne old Massasoit house at Spring
Aea. Dee, o, 1874, for the purpose of
Mailing a common eligibility rule and
possible To form a baseball league.
Iner deliberations eventually pro-
duced both
Ruling az Early as 1879.
Ihe rule adopted on that occasion
ran as follows:
ANY student who has been in reg
u'r attendance FOR the whole of any
'VH'Se year in any department shall
" ''Slble IN that year for the nine.
'V student who after this date shall
r", upon professional team or who
'n'n play Tor money shall not be
eligible.
ms pioneer rule struck directly at
Tue grievances as they existed i'm the
'""pe DAYS of 1879, bat a period was
=" ue horizon in which simplicity in
T''' was to develop rapidly into com
'''"'y' With the decade of the sos
,a"'e thc organized amateur athletic
,'u' hlhc, the summer resort nine.
,' ' "'dhulaetory nine, and the small
''''dteur nine, some of which were
"''haSed that the public uncon-
but accurately STYLED them
.''"i' amateur mines These organi-
a ~',O'S' likewise, chiefly sought the
- stars, Again no objection was
,,,Y ~ INST To the collegian playing
,., ,' ,n'Sc teams provided he received
Vly his expenses.
was not long, however. before
&C. were rife of padded expense
~ ''''s' of highly valuable gifts. of
MI Saiaried commercial positions in
nss Wv" no service was required. and
" VI secret pay-rolls. Not only
oAs. tue collegians embroiled in
na,u SIS and counter charges. but the
wi 'ailS OF these summer teams like
va 'olhed the hue and cry. The di.
laa alegiance of some Of the latter
coI. ,"em to furnish secretly to their
N ,, proofs of the professionalism
VI rival colleges.
49, ootoall First to Suffer.
tor., '''ously, it was football that suf-
dno most from the ensuing storm.
so,.' inc double fact that the football
sa, ioiloWed baseball and that the
Sta. y, The diamond usually was
lsM - me gridiron. Thus the fall of
eeio,. u the old American Intercol-
imnSs FOOTBALL association. which had
atoa and nutured the intercolleg-
thsr,e "e' locked in a bitter row over
srIsan OF professionalism which had
TIA, a, III summer baseball. a row
ton Tr ~, wrecked the associa-
cop,ro,. n's was followed by similar
Nimaas among the various in
alhlou" forming dual leagues In
anu breaking of intercolleg-