Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06
Profits Were Exaggerated.

Profits Were Exaggerated.
II a base ball team happened to make
o profit of $4,000 on the season some
how some one managed to create the
impression the owner just doubled that
amount If some player was bought
from minor league club for $4,000 and
a few players thrown in, who were OF
no use or they never would have been
included in the bargain. the public was
given to understand that the player
cost the owner $4,000 and a couple OF
players. If a player signed CONTRACT
TO- So, 900 when all winter he insisted
that he would never play again uniess
he received $500. it was generally
stated that the player received the
amount demanded. Very often the
player would be responsible for such
story going the rounds. When fellow
insists the club must give him the hg-
ure he demands he naturally wants the
public to believe he got 1t. When he
signs at a lower figure he usually says
"I am perfectly satisfied with my con-
tract. although I don't care to name
the exact figures" That naturally
leads one to believe he got the sum he
held out for. Having signed the player
at the figure the club believes he is
worth the owner, as rule, is willing
to le, the player give out any state
rnent he desires. The owner is well
aware that 1t would be unwise for him
to contradict the players statement
and give out the exact sum. Such
policy would make the player sore,
cause the public to guffaw and prob
ably make the player shirk his duty.
Lost Confidence Hard to Restore.
Destroy confidence and you put kink
In your business. no matter what line
you represent. Padded attendance fig
,,rao baye ,lco cauSad tho nuhlic he
skeptical when reading about some
record breaking crowd attending an
important ball game. In the days of
the old Polo grounds any time ca
pacity crowd attended game the fig
ures were given as anywhere from
10000 to $4,000. The public read and
marveled. Then a world series was
played, a capacity crowd viewed the
opening game and the national COM
mission announced the figures as 24,992.
The players. who had believed crowds
of g.. 900 could be cared for. yelled MUIR
der when the paid attendance was
shown to be 10000 shy that amount.
The national commission had given out
the correct figures. some one had lied
prio- to the correct report rendered by
the commission.
No doubt some one figured that pad
ded figures would stimulate interest
Nothing is harder to judge than the
size of a crowd. Get 1900 people,
which is pretty fair crowd. into a
ball park. and you could tell most of
those present that the crowd numbered
exactly 1887, and get away with it
without any argument. Different club
secretaries must have agreed that the
average reader would be much more
interested in spectacle that attracted
10000 people than 1900. which, we will
say. was the real attendance. One set
of figures was far more imposing than
the other. IL was doped out that the
average person not base ball fan
would marvel at sport that could at
tract so many people, and possibly
might cause him to decide TO take in a
game which must have considerable
merit to attract such big crowds.
No Longer Pad Attendance Figures.
This form of advertising has, to a
great extent, died out. and it is a
mighty good thing for the game that
such is the case. The reports of the
national commission have done much
10 put the public wise to probable at
tendance figures. Those given by the
commission during the playing of the
world series. or a city event. are abso-
lutely correct. In most cases at some
time or other a capacity crowd has at
tended the park, so that il is known
just how many people can get into the
Enclosure Knowing the exact capacity.
~ ls possible to make a fairly accurate
EueSs WHeH the CROWDS are smaller.
Often the public is curious as to the
size of the crowd; they would like to
accept the fgures as correct, but In the
past were unable to do so. ! can see
no reason why the exact figures should
not be given. Many OF the present
secretaries take the same view, and
In a good many cases If secretary
gives out the attendance at 1851 Won
can gamble real money that he has
given you the exact figures II has
dawned on them that the public does
not care to be trifed with.
Club Owner Pays the Penalty.
While a club owner might get a coil
umn of cheap advertising by doubling
the actual price for some star minor
league player. II often turns out to be
very costly bit of publicity. Such
preliminary advertising always makes
the setting that much more difficult for
the recruit. 1t is only natural that the
public should expect great things for a
player who cost the. club owner s12 900.
and who was reputed to have gotten a
three-year contract calling for $4,000
before he would agree to sign. II the
player happens to be an inielder he is
said to be a second Collins. Lajoie,
Evers or Wagner. II he IS a pitcher
ne Is touted as faster than johnson.
more heady than Mathewson. II he is
an outhelder he Is compared with Cobb,
Speaker and other big league stars of
the outneld. All this advance dope
leads the ian to believe that the re-
cruit Is wonder. and he expects him
to como through right or tho reel