New-York tribune., 1915-12-31
Governing Bodies in Ath-
letics Accomplish Much
at Second Meeting.
A. A. u. TO MAINTAIN
CONSERVATIVE STAND
Question of Summer Baseball,
Which Brought About Gather
ing. To Be Decided Later.

History was made at the Hotel Astor
Yesterday. or rather last night. when
the representatives Of twenty-one gov
erning bodies in amateur sport defined
the oft .perplcxing term amateur.
The meeting was the continuation OF
the conference called together by the
&c. A. A. A. A. on Monday afternoon
10 clarity the rules controlling anna
teur athletics in so far as they have
been applied in this country. Although
IL seemed as if little could be accom-
plished AZ the first session, the situa
ton was cleared to such an extent
when the delegates came together lot
The second conference that they were
able 20 take up their tsk and con-
.truct clause by clause sn amateur Ia"
,,bicb Rill be recommended for adop-
ton by the twerty-one organizations
which were represented.
Every phase OF sport from me view
noint Of amateurism was elsou9S III
and II was not until the iacts Hau
boen clearly set forth that the CONFER
o,ce voted to define an amateur as one
r. engages in sport for the pleasure
and nhvsical. mental. moral and soclal
beneAts he derives therefrom ana 10
whom sport is nothing more thah a"
avocation ,,-L - -
/, was made clear that although the
conference had no authority 10 oIhu
ia definitions and rules on any OF 'he
associstions that were represented
'bs,. would recommend them for adop-
ION with the view of obtaining an anna
terr lau in the United States that
would have complete uniformity Al
,bough approving in the main the
,ules laid down the delegates IRON the
Amateur Athletic Unlon--justce bar
tow & Weeks. of the legislation com
,rittee. President George j. Turner
ana Secretary Frederick W. Ruben.
Indicated that the most influential OF
ali controlling bodies IN amateur SpoI'
would maintain its traditional cohseI-
vattxr, and refuse to adopt the more
progressive or radical steps, taken. .
Jnstice Weeks as the spokesman OF
he A. A. L. had a large voice phySl-
cally az we'll as authoratiVeiy' IN tne
leliheratious Of the conference, ana ms
rand guided much Of the legislation
lie opposed action taken by the confer
,rce in introducing a feature new IN
amateur law, the pardonlng power ana
as particularly positive IN his stahu
against permitting the relnstatenleh1
~ an amateur who has competed Tor
money or who has coached for money
either in the sport in which he was
oisbarred or in some other Dranch OF
.port. e
But when il came 10 the question OF
summer baseball. not that variety OF
this oft condemned practice wherein
the player accepts hard cash, DIT "here
he associates with those VINO 90 geV
the cash. neither Justice Weeks nor
snv other member Of the conference
was able 10 steer a course INTO saie
harbor and the result was that the ad-
iournmeut was taken with no leglsla-
ton on that particular point save a
resolution aimed at the practice Whlcn
,.as the combined work Of Gus'avus /.
kirbv. chairman of the conference, the
Justice and Professor Joseph +. Ray
croft, Of Princeton.
Thus. although George Brickley, the
stormy petrol of the college football
world last fall and the cause Of the
whole upturning of the amateur ques-
tion by the |. c. A. A. A. A., was the
man al whose status in the realm OF
athletics the whole inquiry was u'-
rected, nothing really decisive was ac-
complished in fixing the condluoh
which he brought about with any de-
greC OF certainty. Though the con
ference was unanimous IN ITS action u,
stating that a man who accepts money
tor athletics. as Brickley admittedly
did. was disbarred from amateur sport
The place TO be occupied by the men
who plaved on the Trinity team WIN
him and were professionals only by
taint was left wholly undecided;
This is the resolution which was
nassed directed at the SITUATION
brought up by the Brickley ineident'
Resolved. that II is the sense OF
Ibis meeting that competition between
amateurs and professionals should not
no favored. but. under exceptional con
ditions and with proper safeguards
such competition may be permitted oE
Inc various organizations governing
,hcir sports without jeopardizing the
amateur status Of those so paruclpa'
ing ...;
mouslv. but not until after the oeIe'
Gates had wrangled for close 20 tWo
hours on the subject and summer Dase
ball had been comoed over !" every
direction dozens Of times.
rus.ion on this topic that the |; &
A 4 A. intends 20 rule with a
teavv hand In debarring athletes iron
~ spring games. Mr.. Kirby stated
nnsi.fvolv that there woIld he numer
,us nrotests. and that Unless the con
.,itution Of the I. c. A. A. A. a. wa
hanged the protcsts would have 70 D,
upbeld In other words. the l. I
a a A. a. is planning 20 do pioneei
work In roofing the professional OUT ol
college athletics.
furthermore. u was made quite a'
dear bv Mr Kirby that that rule WhlcI
vas supposed % have been ph1sto
vears and wears ago covering contests
ho..eer ,i amateur and all profes
siopal teams was nowhere 20 Dc louhV
rben = search for 10 was made, auo
,bn, for a period boz which the memory
- roer f1nncth not % the contrary
ne Yale baseball team has been
sinon pure professional organization
esrh sear because Of its annual game
viiS the New York Giants such
.,tuation IL covered by the new rules
and this was not opposed by the a. \
E. representative.
By these new regulations only thos'
usrobers Of the team on when pro
rcEsional compctes become proler
.ionsls. 20 that barking back 90 Triniti
and The Brickley case. Brickley's pre-
cnce would professionailzc the entlr'
Trinity team ss ~ did last fall Thu
you'd make the Trinity team pureil
Brofessi0nsl organization. and a. suci
IL could meet purely amateur eieYen'
without spreading the Injection o
nrofssgionalism further
one specifc example waf cited US
Wr KIRBY a. being q desirable reHdl