The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-31
SPORT HERE NEEDS
RIVAL FOR N. Y. A.C,
Crescent A. CTS Entrance Into
Athletics Would Benefit
Immensely.
CITY A. c. CAN HEIR
If New York Is to Retain til
Prestige New Blood Must
Be Injected.
CITY A. c. CAN HEIR
by sPRINTER.

ny sPRINTER.
II in pothing else the senior metropoi,.
tan track and field championships g,
Pershing Field, Jersey City. week ago
demonstrated the fact that for the good
Of the sport a strong rival is needed for
the New York A. @. With the Irish
American A G. practically out OF ex.
istence as far as competitive athletics
goes, the Mercury Footers found the titls
games laughably soft picking. scoring
126 points to their nearest opponents
~. The New York a. c.. in fact. rolled
up more points than all the other clubs in
the district combined.
What wonderful thing for sport Il
would be Il the Crescent A c. of Brooklyn
would actively enter the realm OF the
track and the field The New Moonerq
would offer the Mercury Footers worthy
rivalry. The competitions between ths
two great clubs of the greater city would
boom sport tremendously. The added in.
terest and enthusiasm undoubtedly would
result in a big Improvement DIN local
athletics and would put New York back
on the athletic map.
There Is no doubt that but under the
present athletic regime New York IS
losing athletic prestige every day. From
all Indications the Metropolitan Associa-
ton will throw one of the weakest teams
that ever represented the Big Town into
the national championships on Franklin
Field next month. There will be no old
fashioned New York cleanup. Chic:
honors will go to the middle West New
York will have to battle for the leavings
with athletes from Boston, Philadelphia
and way points.
Mercury Foot VS.. winged Fist.
New York's wonderfully brilliant ath.
letbc successes of the past have been
owing to the fact that the New York
A. c. had some worthy rival to help force
things along. In the old days the Knlck-
erbocker A. c. and Manhattan A. c. kept
the Mercury Footers on edge. Then
along came the Irish American A. c.
Track and field sports in this district
reached their crest under the impetus
given by the wonderfully keen rivalry
between the Mercury Footers and the
| Winged Fisttes.
The track and field rivalry between
the Irish American A. c. and the New
| York A. c. was a wonderful thing for
athletics. 1t not only was felt locally
but nationally and internationally. It
resulted in the developing of many grsa,
champions. Other clubs of the country
had to try TO keep pace with New
iork S stars. inc result was lnat Unoie
! Sammy developed track and field teams
that swept the boards in the Olympic,
| games of 1904, 1906, 1908 and 1919.
With the Irish American A. C. now
| dying OF fatty degeneration of the heart
! New Yorks athletic salvation lies in
some other club taking up the gaunte.
, against the Mercury Footers. The
| Crescent a. C. is the logical rival Of the
| New York A. c. The great Brooklyn
! organization is about the only one, bar
! ring perhaps the City A. c., that can
hope to compete with the New York A.
c. in number Of members. wealth and
| sports prestige.
New Moon Would Rise.
| Under good athletic management Il
would occasion no surprise to see the
! New Mooners topple the MercUry Foot
! ers out of the lead in American ath-
letics. The majority Of the crack ath.
! ietes who now sport the Mercury Foo.
NOi4iC iIOin brooklyn. he majority o.
the star athletes of the Metropolitan
district hail from the borough acros,
the big bridge. If the Crescent A. c.
| took up athletics on a large scale tbs
Brooklyn boys would be just as proud
| to wear the New Moon of the Bay Ridge
! club on their shirt fronts as they now
are to sport the Mercury Foot Of the
Travers Islanders
The Crescent A. c., whose name now
little Is known other than locally. could
make itself just as famous. nationally
! and internationally, as the New York
A. c. IL 1t took up active participation
In track and field sport The track and
/ field game is about the only real inter
national sport. 1t is the lone pastlme
the youths of all nations can meet in on
common ground.
If the Crescent A. c. devoted half tire
| time to track and field sport II has given
| to hockey, lacrosse and basketball the
New Moon now would be known from
coast to coast and from Bangor. Me- 10
Singapore.
Forget the Past!
It is said that petty chickering's and
rows of the dim and distant past be,
tween officials Of the Crescent A. c. and
officials of the Amateur Athletic Union
Is what is keeping the New Mooners Out
/ of athletics. Those squabbles took place
years ago. 1t is time they were buried
and forgotten.
They are too small and insignificant
| to interfere with the great work NE
club could do in athletics. The euo
, would benefit just as much as the sporI
itself through the New Moons acuN9
! participation in track and field sport
The City a. c. is another club Whica
! could do much for American track anu
! field sport through active praucpato'
| in athletics. Many members OF the L''
| A. c. are Hebrews. Some of the grea''
est of our American athletes were he,
| brews. Among them can be mentonel
euch stars as Myer Prinste!n, Dan
! Frank, Abel Kiviat, Alvah Meyer ana
/ Charlie Pores.
BENEFIT to Club and sport.
II the City A. c., with It's spleada
! membership. its wealth and prestige
: should throw its hat into the athletic
: ring the American track and field sQoN
would receive a tremendous impetus
: And, as in the case OF the Crescent A -
I the City A. c. itself would heneh' I'-
mensely by H.
| II the officials OF the Metropolitan AS
ISOLATION of the A. A. u. want 70 restoIs
some OF the prestige the track ana heo
| sport is losing In this district under wv
! present regime. their first step should 70
toward encouraging the Crescent A l.
and the City A. c. to take UP nthIeticS
But perhaps the local A. a. L. oiFlas
| had better keep their hands on, l.o
benefits the Crescent A G. and the C'S