The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-16
PROFESSIONALISM CRY
MAY BE SCREEN FOR
AUTHORITIES, MENKE
By FRANK C. MENKE

Can it be that that certain collegiate
authorities are raising a great hue
and cry about professionalism only to
toss a smoke screen around their own
guilt?
Those who are familiar with some
of the scouting" methods OF college
athletic authorities, feel that all this
talk about college athletics must be
kept pure from professionalism
sounds like the babbling of hypocrltes.
1t is true that some boys nave
gone wrong''-that is taken actual
cash in return for their athletic sell
vices at places beyond the college
campus But it may also be true that
the boys first learned about the money
value of their services through deal
ings with scouts" for colleges.
Some years ago collegiate officials
| figured it all out that the greatest
advertisement for the college was a
championship football team. 1t reas-
oned-and correctly-that the posses
sion of great gridiron eleven always
acts as lure for the youngsters ABOUT
/ to enter college. And SO those col
| legians have been busy through tne
years in getting together great foot
| ball elevenS.
The methods which agents of some
of the colleges have used to lure great
| prep" school players are not merely
a fragrant violation of ethics out afe
| practically equivalent to profession
alizing an amateur.
| The best instance of this came abou'
mot so long ago when man, one OF
the starriest stars that ever fough'
under the gridiron standard OF one o.
the great colleges in the United States
remarked:
| Il haven't made as much money II
| any three years since / left college
| as | made in single year while
was in college playing football
Last September one of the bes
known football coaches in America
sent a letter to the writer, in which
he said in part:
81 am having considerable trouble
in irving to get back to school this fal
the really great football players VIII
were part of the team last year. Tha
is all because scouts from other col
leges have been chasing around ate
IHOSo MUS duu u ms W
them to quit our school and go T.
others. They have offered them al
sorts of financial inducements. GU
college isn't sufficiently wealthy 10
me to try to outbid the other college
for those diks. And so it looks to m
as if at least four of the good player
of last year that l had counted on TO
1922 are going to quit this colleg
and go elsewhere"
The wall of that football coach l
| Just an echo from the threats o
scores of others What he has face
is something that every coach ha
!, been facing for several years sine
. commercialism became part of co
!, legiate athletics.
The scouts" for colleges do no
go around and openly offer money t
promising looking youngsters in pre-
and high schools. That would be
: bit too crude. But their method
! much along these lines:
, Suppose you are youngster VIII
| has made a name for yourself on
/ high school gridiron and you are i
: your senior year. You are not quit
: decided as to what college you Wi
attend. While you are making u
, your mind, the chances are that
stranger suddenly, by some hook c
crook, will get an introduction to yo
l and eventually impress upon you tn