The Washington herald., 1916-01-02
The Amateur Catechism
By EDWARD r.. BUSHNELL


to the Olympic definition. Is one who has
never competed for money prize or for
monetary consideration, or in any way
drawn pecuniary gain from his sport;
competed against a professional; taught
IN any branch of athletics for payment;
sold. pawned. hired out, or exhibited for
payment any prize won in competition.
Q. What is a professional?
A. A professional is an athlete who
competes for a financial consideration.
An amateur may be declared profess
sional by violating the foregoing amateur
code.
Q. What is the reason for the distinc-
tion between the amateur and the pro-
fessional?,
A. The basis for the distinction Is that
the amateur takes his athletics as. a
recreation, as sport for sports sake.
Under such circumstances there would
be no fun competing against profess
sional 1t would not be fair contest.
Q. Why do colleges object to profess
sIonals?
A. Because the colleges want the great
est possible number of students to take
up athletics and try for their teams. IL
professionals were eligible the average
student would realize that he had no
chance to make his team, and would
not even go out for sports.
Q. Don't college athletes frequently
masquerade as amateurs during the
academic year, and yet compete sur
reptitiously as professionals during their
summer vacations?
A. Unfortunately this practice exists,
but 1t is not as common as generally
believed. 1t is almost entirely confined
to baseball, due to the commercial as
pect of this sport.
Q. How do baseball players evade the
rules?
A Some take assumed names and play
with minor league teams for regular sal
aries. Others take positions with in
dustrial plants. hotels and other organ
izations where they perform certain serv-
ices but with the understanding that they
shall play with their employers baseball
teams once or twice a week.
Q. Don't such men have to sign an
iron clad stating that they are ANA
teurs before they can play on their
college teams?
A. They do. Those who play under
assumed names and for a salary and then
represent their colleges are in reality
perjurers. The other method is an eva
sion which is winked at
O. Doesn't the fact that those who play
base bail with industrial plants, depart
ment stores and summer hotels get such
positions because of their baseball skill,
rather than their other qualifications,
make them professionals in spirit?
A. According to the strict interpreta-
ton of the amateur law it does.
Q. Why don't college authorities de-
clare them professionals?
A. Because they realize that they could
not prove their case and because the
practice is so general.
Q. Why were Legore and his fellow
members of the Yale baseball team dis
qualified as amateurs?
A. Because they accepted board and
lodging while playing on a club base
ball team.
Q. Don't track athletes do what the
Yale men did without being disqualified? ?
A. They certainly do. and with the full
knowledge of the A. A. U. and college
authorities. Last summer. for example,
there were a good many college men who
represented athletic clubs, were lodged.
boarded and transported across the con-
tinent and back for the A. A. U. cham
them.
@ How can a track athlete do this and
remain a bona fide amateur, while a
baseball player is professionslized for
doing the same thing?
A. There is no defense for such a dis
tinction. 1t is merely one of the many
Inconsistencies in the Interpretation and
enforcement Of our amateur laws.
Q. What other glaring Inconsistencies
can be pointed out?
a. feTCy f1duBIluOn, OF ffaFShr0, ana
George Brooke, of Pennsylvania. both
professional football coaches. are anna
teur racquet champions. At the olympic
games in 1912 the track and field men
had to hew closely to the line of anna
teurism, as witness the disqualification
Of Jim Thorpe, the all-around champion,
for playing summer baseball. while some
Of the revolver experts went abroad as
representatives Of ammunition plants
because of their skill in Workmanship.
and even had their salaries paid In full
during their absence.
This fall Trinity College played on its
football team George Brickley, brother
Of the famous Harvard gridiron star.
George Brickley was a professional ath-
lete, having been a member Of the Phil
adelphia Athletics. Columbia University
cancelled its football game with Trinity
because of the rule providing that anna
teurs playing against professional pro-
fessionalized themselyes That being the