The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-31

Tive Chicago Tribune has taken step
which il n m"mcntCus one to profess
sional sport The Tribune Is on" ~ the
sreateat papers In the world, and IN
the central west ono Of the most ropu-
lar It's active owner. Major Joseph
Medill Patterson. Is one of tho kecrrHt
Of sportsmen and one OF the greatest
students OF sport. The other owners
are Senator Mcdill Mccormick OF I'LL
nois. who is perhaps III" greatest au-
thority on sport In the United states
senate and his brother. BERTHE Nc
Cormick. hrigadier general during the
war. a great polo player and lover n
all sports.
Two Of theSe three rowch on Tale
crews When they were kids | worked
for the paper they now own. and tt'-
quently went with them 20 baseball and
football games. They were as ardent
and as loyal sporthnen as there arc IN
America. and all were baseball fans.
capt. Pattersons father. the editor wlo
made the Tribune. was ona Of the Ar"'t
Sportsmcn in the world. and his KNOW
edge OF baseball WAS much Er,it-r han
tina, Of his baseball reporters. Il" ku'u
tho players. he knew their records and
sr'crm missed a game.
II Is certain, then. that anything tho
editors Of the Tribune decide upon. they
know what they arc doing. They have
decided that professional baseball. as It
Is revealed in the major Leagues. is 40.
just what IT should be. Th-v hay" de-
cided to print only the var" n"ws ,
professional baseball and r. h"yrS' nc
greater part OF the space 70 amateur
and college sport.
CommsrcdAlism Spells Doom.
There is no doubt that tn" at:.'ut, Of
the Tribune ultimately must bee r~c
that of all save strictly cDt1NrrCu,l'1 j
sporting newspapers. There riIsJ he
line drawn Scmcwher" between y OF
which Is sport and sport W. - IS
purely amusement cnterr-rT
All the evils Of prot'S.I,'mI hd,. tar
have com" from CONNER III :r'tru Of
tho sport. " hen The world sores "rst
Doc I'M. enc az the blk i>,Ir", II tn
year in poet | wrote. aStu md .,LLrN.
urging r." cub owners IN :. they ~, -
do Fomcthn" 10 protect - >r"r' ." .;
would ''r',r' merely IN amusement
enterprise fGr ,hcr | wa"I"d ;h'n. tat
inevitably the ball players w)uIl hc
corrupted. A. far back rs I7u> wr,;r
urging the major league. ~ put 4 stop
10 the growing tendency to mike base
ball a public show.
big money involved was ruInlng the
sport and that Il great scandal was tn
eritnble. There was no Guubt rs |" tn"
facts; the players and thH majority OF
the club owners admitted It. regretted
II and urged that steps DO taken 10 pre-
vent the catastrophe.
In 1914 a ball PLAYER. one ~ III.
Smartest | have ever known. remarked
TO mo: The old game is deaf: they
don't talk baseball any more: they talk
money" He hit the nail on the head.
The amount Of money involved was too
much
There were SYMPTOMS even then tina;
the commerClallsm Of baseball was got
ting acute. and IN" Federal league war
brought II TO crisis.
The effect 81 the federal league war
upon baseball left nothing To hc drr,d-
I'd 10y Sucsswork: the players them
selves showed that tho entire atti,ul,
was get th- coin. Without blaming
anyone. 1t is certain that tho players
merely followed the lead VI the owners
and others concerned. AMI N The greed
for gain ruined {. greater or lesser
extent the sport Winch We heN" al!
loved.
Sport or BuBtneSs7
capt. Patterson many !cars aco sug-
Geste0 - tho ''hlCaE" publishers that
they rrsn' hnS"hall exactly as they
would any other amusement r,ItcrlriS
He did not decide that the r'cm"u, ri
sport was miss n.; IN professional haa"-
ball Th" other publishers could not
see his arEl". They believed tho rub
lie still considered baseball as a sport
regardless "f The fact that n" club
owners were applying - II tn. very
same principles hat obtain in theatres.