Bisbee daily review., 1915-01-05
QUARTER OF ENTIRE NATION ATTENDED
 SPORTS LAST YEAR
Popularity of Amateur and Pro- tessional Athletics Is Proven By Records of Attendance at Games; Baseball Leads.

NEW YORK. Jan. 4-That 25.OOO.. l 900 spectators witnessed amateur and professional sports in this country during the past twelve months is suf. ficient foundation for the oft-repeated statement that 1914 was a record year in American athletic competitions These astonishing attendance figures equal Co approximately one quarter of the total proulation of the United States are not the result of haphaz. ard guessing. The attendance at all forms of sports contests was recently the subject of discussion among group of writers and experts in this city and after much comparison and conference the foregoing figures were fixed upon as being comparatively ac. 1 curatC and conservative
 In the main these twenty-five mil. lion represent paid admissions but not
 erti'ely since in certain sports the ! paid attendance forms but a small percentage of the total assemblage of | spectators. In some cases tho Igures are official or semi-official while in J others they are the result of careful | t7tulati,us adhered from club secre-
 taries, newspaper reports anl esti- mates made by those qualified 10 guara the size and rumber of la.Ti crowds.
 Baseball leads, as is natural. and while official counts are not available I a total of 9,0OOOOO was the general
 estimate as the attendance at all
 games played under Organized Base
 ball control representing as it does
 fortythree leagues and almost 300 clubs. Football comes next with 6,292,-
 900. Jarke Davis, members of the
 Rules Committee and expert football
 statistcian is authority for this esti-
 mate together with the additional in-
 formation that 152,OOO players partic-
 ipated in 34,O0O games during the sea
 son of ten weeks
 lt was the concensus of opinion that
 approximately 100000 persons wit.
 messed racing, trotting and pacing
 throughout the country last year.The
 his and golf proved hard problmse
 since few accurate records are kept
 The official figures showed that close
 10 l50000 spectators paid admission
 for the twelve days of Davis cup ten
 his play an dthe eight days of cham
 pionship play at Newport Another
 10000 was fixed upon as the probable
 attendance at all other sectional. state
 and city tennis title tournaments.
 Golf galleries, being without admis-
 sion feature, are not separately con
 sidered
 Automobile, motorcycle and bicycle races were allotted 5OO,OOO and track
 and field sports a similar attendance
 These figures refer principally to
 paid admissions and if they err they
 minimize rather than exaggerate. The two international polo matches be-
 tween the United States and English teams drew 75,OOO spectators to Mead
 owbrook last spring Probably 5OOOO more followed the play in other tour , naments about the country giving a total of 125OOO The two big college | ANhNANNeAo NAA bAhhhNtphlt anu ANtW ? London attracted 100000 persons of
 whom 10000 paid for observation . train or boat seats. Other dual and tri- angulars varsity races together with l the national and sectional regattas of 5 the National Association of Amateur Q Oarsmen raised the total of 425,OOO. Boxing also found prominent place } in the tabulations Using the reports } of the New York and Wisconsin State ? Athletic Commissions it was esti- mated that fully 1,5OO,OOO spectators 3 attended professional and amateur ex. hibitions and championship bouts dur. 70 ing 1914. In New York State alone the ] gate receipts as reported to the Com.
 mission was in round figures $64O.OOO
 and the attendance 100000.
 - No attempt was made to estimate } the attendance at golf and trap shoot ing tournaments where admission fee - are either nominal or entirely dis pensed with. Crisket, hockey lacross