New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-19
$1,000 LIKELY
TO SEE WILLARD
AND MORAN BOX
Between S125,000 and
$4,000 Will Be Paid
for Privilege.

Il is estimated that some 10000 per
sons will pay between $4,000 ard
$4,000 20 see Jess Willard. heavy
weight boxing champion of the world,
step ten rounds cor less with Frank
Moran al Madison Square Garden next
Saturday night.
IT. this group will be found dozens
OF men and. doubtless, some women
who are wont 10 expatiate at length
upon the extortions of theatre ticket
spectators. taxicab drivers. cabaret
owners. butchers, bakers and cardle-
stickmakers in greater Now York, yet
who fairly scrambled over each others
footwear in frenzied attempts to pur-
chase ringside seats for boxing con-
test a, Sl5. $50 and s25 each.
Why
What particular form Of psychology
or mania accounts for the willing
ness Of = supposedly sophisticated
adult man or woman to pay ten
times what f., would cost him TO see 4.
brilliant comedy or spectacular musical
piece; five times what J. would cost
him 70 sit In an orchestra chair at the
metropolitan and hear the worlds
greatest operas: tTice what IL Eoula
cost hin. 20 bay some permanent adorn-
r.cut for his nome or HE ROOM. ard
frliy a. much a. ne commonly pas fof
n suit os clothes or an overcoat Ju-
to sit with 1899 other supposedly
sophisticated men and women am
watch two professional boxers pummo!
each other for forty minutes, including
ten minutes Of inactivity.
Bear In mind that the average man
or woman who sits ~ the " lizard
Moran ringsidc nest SATURDAY night
will have no monetary interest ~ TIE
result Of the encounter. Nhctn,r trc
kansan OF tire Pennsyl,anian wins will
have absolutely nothing 20 DO vita tic
ordering or regulation OF their lives.
They Will not. IN short. be affected n
the slightest degree b. the result. nol
by tne fac- that ,ney were either there
or not there. They will simply see -
pud 90 home.
Blu: the act remains that they WILL
be there as many as can possibly
crowd past the guardians OF the various
gateways and wiggie into a position
commanding "a view OF the ring and
they will pay, gladly, for the privilege.
There must be some reason for such a
tate OF affairs.
In the first place, it may be taken for
granted that the average American
likes 70 be IN the thick OF things. He
COZ ,he) likes 10 feel that at !cas. some
part Of the success Of great events IN
this country has beer due 20 his cor
ferl presence when and where The
events came of. Most folks enjoy the
thrill which comes when. in gathering
of their uc.ghbors. they can proudly
say. "Suro. was thercl" That will
probably account for fully one-hslf Of
the attendance at the willard Moran
quarrel.
in the second place. there Is a Ger
tain degree OF what might be termed
'naughtiness' attendant upon ones pat
ronage of boxing exhibition. As a
matter OF fact. no such thing exists
there is no reason why persons should
not go 20 see boxing any more than
there ia reason Why they should not
20 10 sec baseball. or football, or other
athletic games-but society has decreed
that boxing. in common with horse
racing, IL a "naughty" sport.
Hence II Is that so many viii pungle
up hves. tens hfteens, tven:ies and
twenty-rves 20 the promoters OF tho
willard Moran heavyweight boxing
contest: and will be o. hand 20 gasp
and clasp their hands convulsiyely as
the ring IL cleared OF all save the prin-
cipals. and the referee shouts, "Le.
'er go"