The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-30
WORLD WAR HAS HELPED SPORTS
 IN ALL BRANCHES, SAYS METzGER

being the factor which will get every one into athletics in the future. The way towards the adoption of such a scheme in our national life, following peace. is being well paved, and we may confidently loox forward to a better nation from a physical stand point as result of this war.
 There are interesting side-ights in this new sport world created by the war. Take the amateur and profes- sional argument. The army and the navy do not recognize it as a problem. And there is no good reason why they should. Men advance or are denoted in the service according to their eft1- ciency. The matter of athletic ethics in so far as money is concerned, pro- fessionaIly speaking, has no bearing whatever on efficiency. In so far as it concerns the standing of the indi- vidual in army athletics again we find no difference or distinction drawn. A soldier may go forth and compete for cash and immediately participate in sport in his organization. The army, if it figures the thing at all, figures that the soldier has main object in life which it can very well take care of--and this 1t does. Beyond that and his efficiency 1t is little concerned Consequently, professional sport may be indulged in and what, we know as the professional given as good stand ing in army athletics as the amateur As a result of all this the amateur purist may have sleepless nights ahead, especially as another problem presents itself for his unraveling with the coming of peace. This other prob l lem is an odd and amusing one. Ii seems that hundreds of athletes above draft age or ineligible for service have l jumped into the work of the Rec Triangle and are deYoting their ath. letic ability to helping the extremely busy officers of the army carry along the army athletic program. Of ne cessity many of these men, purest o. amateurs, are being paid. They art technically athletic trainers or man agers and as such are technicall! barred from amateur sporting rank in the future, no matter how patriotic their record. Yet they are not pro fessional in spirit. One might sa! they are patriotic in spirit.
 While it may be all right to say tha the mere fact they are doing their bi will free them from the stain of pro fessiona1ism we have the very recen and amusing case of Francis Ouimet l golf player extraordinary in peac times a professional, according to tn records of the U. s. G. A., but now since he is doing his bit in the ser vice, an amateur though he gives u his own word that he has in no wa, cast aside those nefarious bushes pursuits-selling sporting goods in hi
 store-whiCh, were the basis for tn
 peace time attitude of the ruling gol
 body in declaring him a pro.
 For this hair-splitting work of tn
 future we have no kind thought.
 remfnds-us very much of the informa
 sport attitude of certain colleges, o
 rather of story we overheard in thi connection at Camp Dix.
 Jeff Smith, the camp boxing in
 structor, was one of a group listenin
 listening to an officer telling of an i'm
 promptu and unexpected fight he gc
 into with lumber jack. It was mix-up without governing rules ( , any sort and the story was filled wit ; eye coughing, kneeing, kicking an
 biting episodes. When the officer ha completed his tale, Jeff. veteran ( many hard battle in the ring, pipe in with these words:
 l That's the trouble with inform; sport!'
 Copyright, 1918, by Sol Metzger.)