Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-07
BASEBALL LIKELY To
HAVE A BIG YEAR
Indications Point to Greatest
Season In History OF the
National Pastime.

Now yo1. Feb. 7.-Baseball through
49,. ~ ,,,,,rv during the 1921 seas on
,,ro,,,;ses 70 show continued growth IN
,x,n,,lor;tv which has been a consistent
feature of the national game since effe CLOSE
Of the world war. Last season new a'-
tendance records were rnaoe IN ,,e liaJor
and minor leagues and uno thcialy III was
a;I sa,,i '. tha, never in its history has the
ua,,e en;oved such q prosperous season
rana-aIly OF season indications are that
tbo records of 1920 will be surpassed next
,,,nnosr This leads to the quesu on
seWbere will the club owners put the fansi
,,ho desire TO see the games II base bal
continues to grow in popular favor!
There are some sizeable baseball parks
IN Tho country. the largest of which Is
Brave Field, ut Boston with a seating ca
nacitv of 1880 Most of the PARKS are
sufficiently large 10 accommodate the
crowds that ordinarily attend the gtihes'
but in every baseball city there trc oo-
cssions during the season, esleclai9 W
HOLIDAYS and in the cases OF irhpoIV<'ii'
series. when the largest OF parks are II
ADEQUATE to accommodate thoss "ho
Jee;re to mass through the turnstlles. :,
T.arpe and numerous as are the basebah
marks throuphout- the country IN oities
represented by professional teams II
will surprise a majority OF the ians W
learn that the total seating capacity
Iii ,,srl-s Of the major and minor leagues
of ;nrvor.ance is less than one per cent OF
tho total porulation of the country. loo,-
Ss2 10S as shown by the 1920 census.
Tho seating capacity of the parks IN tne
major leagues and the pnnclpal minor
leagues totals approximately 9oi ,ooo,
which with some minor leagues wlluSo
statistics are not avallable, plop"oiN
would bring the total seating capaol's
OF All league parks in the country up 70
round million. r. o,;rr
Tho apparent congestion OF seating
capscitv IS more acute in the two major
Iaag1;es than Il is in the minors. Inc
cities represented in the National League
have total population of 12,653,S0e' ana
the baseball parks in those cities nave
total seating capacity OF about I90'OOu,
This means that there are seats IN all /
National League parks for only o Per
cont Of the population and 1t woulo mean
that If all the people of those cities tPok
tho notion 10 attend the games on SO me
holiday about 60 Persons would be scr1 m
bling for possession Of each seat:
A. regards the proportion. Of seats 70
population the situation IN the Anierif;th
League is virtually the same as IN Ihe
sap;nr major league The cities IN he
,irc,,i- headed bv Ban johnson boast of a
total population Of l3,5A.Ol4 perso cps
while the clubs in the American League
bovc provided seats for close 70 -io,upo-
Hero the percentage OF accommodatiTns
FOR The populati0n Is about ., the saFne
=. in the National League. but reduced 70
actual figures it means one seat LOT ehch
63 persons. 49,
Conditions arc = trae better IN the
,brec Glass "A Leagues, the seating
cspacitv Of which il between three ana
four percent Of the population Inc
American Association with popuiauon
az , 423. 900 in its eight cities can seat
81 500: the new International League
With total population Of 2,S79UO0 mas
seats for 7O.4OO and the Pacihc 0oast
7 oagne. with 2,1000.900 population
ha, provided 81, 400 seats.
Tic club with particularly atttrac,tive
star. such as Babe Ruth was to fne :New
York Yankees last season, ,hnds II d'fncNIt
many times during the season 70 take care
az those who arc anxious to contribute
,a ~ f,oocial success Of the club There
were several Saturdays and sundays last
season when the Yankees were piay1ng oh
thc Polo Grounds ard when II was neces-
sarv 10 close the gates long he1oTe US
rarne started. thus turning away thoustthes
of disappointed fans
The problem Of seating capacity IS ore
that is likely to 'emaIn with the cl9o
owners for all tiut In most OF the parks
hat are .ow e.. abllshed 1t is quite I'M
nossibIe 70 ircvcese the seating capaclty
because OF the lack Of space and with tre
steady growth Of American cities ciup
owrers find il impossible TO select sites
for rev parks within distance that lahs
are willing TO travel TO witness games