The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-02

/ think that it is due to a num-
Der of causes. The advent of pro-
hibition with the closing of the sa-
looms has sent thousands of men,
young and old, to watch or play
games or contests such as boxing.
The relief from the strain imposed
by the war and the growing belief
in the benefits of exercise and COM
petition have all helped to increase
| the popularity of sport
$50 far as boxing is concerned,
the Walker law has helped the
sport wonderfully in New York
state and would like to see similar
enactments in all other states. The
new boxers alliance, if it means
business and has no private axes
I to grind, should be a great boom
/ for boxing. If champions could be
forced to defend their titles against
selected opponents at stated inter
walls thus giving worthy contend
! ers a chance to advance, it would
| be another step in the improvement
of boxing"
Track and Field Athletics.
! The coming year is expected to
| be one of great activity in college
track and field athletics and sport
/ of all classes, according to Gustav
us T. Kirby, president of the Amer
lean Olympic committee. at the Ant
werp international meet. Mr.. Kirby
| states:
college athletics received a
/ splendid impetus during the past
, year due in part to the visit of the
! OXford-Cambridge unive j s
/ track team last summer and the re-
sultant international intercollegiate
/ meets at Boston and New York
Golf, tennis, small yacht racing and
other forms of amateur sport also
! figured in similar international coz
! tests.
| The 1922 schedule is still in the
making but already the University
of Pennsylvania has announced that
it will send relay team to Lon
! don for competition against the
! English universities. A combined
| Oxford-Cambridge lacross team
will tour this country next summer
and British yachtsmen will race for
an international trophy in Long
| Island. These are, to my mind, but
the forerunners of other and big
/ ger events, in keeping with the
spread OF sport.
! Last year was one of most re-
markable popularity in all forms OF
/ athletic competition but | believe
! that the next few seasons will wit
ness a sport expansion far more i'm
: pressive; perhaps not as spectac-
ular but certainly sane. / believe
ideals will in general be higher:
! believe there will be more honesty
in amateur sport and for that mat
! ter more honesty in professional
/ sport. I believe there will be more
appreciation of the fact that while
amateurism is good. honesty is
! better; that there is no disgrace to
/ be an honest professional.
Il believe the popularity of sport
! is both permanent and progressive
and due to cumulative causes. For
at least rs years a number of us
have been preaching at every op-
portunity the doctrine of good
health and happiness through sport
and l honestly believe that this con
! tinued preaching, this sowing OF
( the seeds of exercise, recreation
play, athletic competition, ETC.. has
brought forth the harvest of last
year and will continue to brins
forth similar splendid harvests IL
years to come.
| Literal hundreds of thousands OF
! boys have had athletics instilled
! into their very makeups by such
l organizations as the public schools
athletic leagues in the various cit
les, the Playground and Recreation
association of America. the Com
munity Service. Inc; the Y. NJ. c
A., the Y. NJ. H. A. A., and Other
similar religious organizations
More than half a million young
men in our colleges and universe
ties in which athletic competition
and physical welfare is an essential
part of the curriculum. and ever
older ones who are in the various
territorial routes of the Amateur
Athletic union. the Amateur Oars.
men of America, the Felcers
I league and other similar rat:onai
bodies must sooner or later show
the result of the teachings of these
/! bodies.
by no means of little importance
has bern The promotion of the idea
of the Olympic games. j. e., Of
4 fnr