South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-07
RECREATION AND
SPORT BECOMING
MORE POPULAR
Figures Show More Money
and Time Being Spent in
u. S. and Abroad
Each Year.


NEW YORK. Feb. THAT the
time. money and attention given TO
sports. both amateur and profess
sional. is constantly ON the increase
in this country is shown in the an
nuai reports of the various govern
ing and allied associations. In some
cases the word recreation can be
substituted for sport in order to
broaden the fitld for. in a general
way. the two are becoming synonO-
nous in America as in England.
Exact figures are. of course. abso-
lutely out of the question. but from
the records available IL is possible
10 trace and average he growth
with reasonable accuracy.
A recent semi official census Of
the automobile and motorboat indus
try in the nited states placed the
number OF motorcars at 2,375,OOO
and motOrboats at 100000. This
would give a total of more than >
600. 900 motor-d driven vehicles on
land and water. If the low average
of 400 each is taken as the initial
cost the sum invested in this class
or division of recreation, crosses the
billion dollar line.
In the golf and tennis fields there
are no means Of reaching even the
approximate amount Of money in
vested or spent by the followers of
these sports. More than 1000 golf
books and the National Lawn Tennis
association consists Of twelve minor
or sectional associations with a
membership Of more than 300 clubs.
The number of private. public, COM
munity and neighbOrhood courses
or courts must run into thousands
and the annual expense for npkeep
and supplies into millions.
Baseball and football attendance
records compiled by statisticians for
1915 placed the total paid admis-
sions at more than 100000. There
are many other sport contests where
admission is charged at certain sea
sons of the year. such as track and
field meets. tennisf soccer. hockey,
skating. auto racing and boxing,
which would add several millions to
these figures
The university of Buffalo is consid
ering a plan TO offer Frank Hinkey
the position of football coach for
next season. Hinkey's contract with
Yale has another year to run but
Their is some doubt as to whether
he will return to New Haven under
the gridiron regime of 1915.
Hans Wagner is an enthusiastic
hunter and fisherman but he knows
how far 10 go for game and where
20 stop. Last fall Outfielder Ed
Barney, of the Pirates. invited Hans
10 visit him later in the season and
indulge in some real Canadian game
chasing. Wagner accepted and Bar
ney told him that he would send
travelling instructions several weeks
i'm advance of the date set for the
trip.
Just before the holidays Wagner
received explicit Instructions re-
garding the railroads and other
methods Of travel by which Hans
was 10 reach Barney's shooting
lodge Wagner read the directions
carefully until he came TO the point
where ne was To take a wagon and
drive siXty-five miles. light there his
enthusiasm for the trip began TO
wane and il disappeared entirely
when he found that Barney was
staying at Wanganui. saskatchewan.
and the thermometer there was
flirting with the 30 degrees below
zero mark at the time the ink froZe
on the nenned epistle.
The great European war has hal
other effects on sport aside from
preventing the continuation of inter
national contests. Prices OF various
sports paraphernalia are beginning
TO increase. due to a shortage Of
materials from which they are man
ufactured. Ivory for billiard balls
and the green cloth used in covering
billiard tables cost more today than
ever before IN the history of the
game The demand for crude ruJ-
Der. due 10 the increased number Of
automobile tires in use and foreien
war supplies. has also sent up the
price OF that commodity. AS a re-
suit ivory billiard and rubber bowl
ing balls. cost considerably more
than they did eighteen months ago
and dealers state that they look for
I,igbor u,ricaS in tho near future