South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-26
FEDERAL LEAGUE
CLUBS LOSE BY
LACK Of PRIZES
Outlaw Circuit Should Have
Cash for Men and Teams to
Shoot at in Battle for Pen
nant-WOuId Help.
By Frank &. NIcnke.

NEW YORK, May 25.-The Fed
eral league magnates seem to have
FOOLED considerably by not putting up
purses for the teams to shoot at.
something TO keep the men lighting
rght into the stretch and something
10 keep alive the publiC'S interest in
the Federal league fight
As matters now stand the teams are
battling only for the honor of landing
at the top and for the possession of a
strip or cloth marked "pennant win
ner. 1t may be all right for the
players 10 battle for Story but the
pubic, grown accustomed to watch
ing battles for ultimate world series
dollars can't get overly excited in a
glory battle.
The Federal league would have
made master stroke had it put up
about $4,000 for prizes, splitting it
three or four ways If three ways,
$1,000 could have gone TO the play
erS on the pennant winning team.
$500 for the second place club, and
1000 for the third place team. If
the $4,000 were split four ways it
could have ben $4,000, $500, $1,000
and $4,000.
The powers that rule the Federal
league considered putting such a plan
into effect during the winter. Just
why they abandoned it is a mystery.
Probably 1t was because they figured
the players were getting d big enough
bit" as it is.
However. if that reason was the real
reason the magnates made a blunder.
They Will lose money through it. They
could have Clipped in $3.50 apiece
TO make up the $4,000 purse and got
that amount back three times over.
Putting up $4,000 in prize money
would have been a fine investment
for the magnates.
Interest VIII Wane.
When the end Of the 1915 season
1ears, the interest in baseball will
wane, especially in the Federal league.
as the clubs there are battling for
little other than glory. Even if Chi
cagO and Pittsburgh, or any two other
teams go into the last two or three
series neck and neck, it won't excite
much public interest because the pub
lie takes the attitude of they amt
battling for anything; what's the use
OF getting excited about it,"
How different it would be if a prize
were at stake The public interest
would be stimulated and the public
would want to be in on the finish.
Suppose. for instance, that two
clubs-lets say Pittsburgh and Chi
cago-go into the stretch close to-
gether. Without any prize Of the
money kind to spur them on. the pub
lie, as a whole, wouldn't be more than
passively interested in such series.
For eight games the total attendance
might not be over 10000.
But if Chicago and Pittsburgh were
fighting for a money prize there would
be an interest in ii almost akin to that
in world series battle. The daily at
tendance would go to 1900 at least.
For eight games-fOur in each city
the total attendance would be $4,000,
or SO, 600 above what it would be with
out any money prize being at stake.
That excess $4,000 spectators means
$4,000 in cash-almOst the entire
purse offering.
Advantage To All.
But il wouldn't work out only to
the advantage of the magnates Of
those two teams The whole league
would benefit Certain it is that the
attendance would be doubled at the
parks of the third and fourth place
clubs if they were battling for place
in the money.
There would be a far greater inter-
est in the Federal league race today If
the teams were playing for money
prizes. The attendance everywhere
would be at least I ; per cent greater
than it is At the very least the
league as a whole would draw $4,000
more spectators than it will draw nor
mally. A so cents head that means
SS7.5OO or nearly three times the
amount that would have been con-
tributed for prizes.
The thing that keeps alive the in
terest in the National and American
leagues is the fact that the winners
play in a world series. And the
greatest interest in the world series
is not who will gain the glory of be
ing world champion but il is who'll