The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-10
FOOTBALL FOR
MONEY NOT So
BADASPAINTED
George A. Barton, NTinneana,,.
Sport Writer, Denied it is Eos.
tered by Gambler

George A Barton, writing IN -.
Minneapolis Daily News. has 60 =
+ thing pertinent to say in beb,,, !,
professional football to the co..hs
and athletic directors of collie
who are raising a hue ana
against this phase of the grea. ~ ~
sport The following art;cia "a. iaii
appeared Jan. rs, has been forw ,',sa
ed by John Dunn, manager NJ 80 ~ =
Minneapolis Marines and vice = ~, els
ident of the American Foo,b.r
league: O'Dai'
Promoters of professional foo,
Dali resent some OF the things ssis
about the pro" sport bv numas -
college coaches. CHARGES tbat ~
fessional football is controllesS ~ y
gamblers are unjust to the pro15
OF men who are seeking To mai
the professional gridiron sDo,i
popular. Wv
There is really more gambling n.
college football games than an tba
professional variety, due TO the fae.
that there is more interest in n,
college contests. Old King Solo
mon himself would face his bsrdey,
task in trying to prevent persons
from wagering on football games
Men in all walks of life bet on coI.
lege gridiron games and how tbs
practice can be stopped is soma
thing we are unable to answer
Backers of the United States
Professional Football league last
year drew up a set of rules tbat
prohibit managers of teams from
tampering with members Of college
teams during the term of their eli
gibility or Immediately after
the closing of their college
gridiron careers. There was an *
ample of this in Minneapolis last
fall when three members Of The
Minneapolis university team Offered
to join the Marines, the local pro-
fessional football team, but wen
turned down. by Manager JOHNNY
Dunn. This rule was upheld rig
idly by all teams in the league last
year.
There are thousands Of permns
whose work will not permit them
to attend the big college games On
Saturday afternoons. They would
enjoy watching college teams play
but through force of circumstances
are denied this privilege. Wby,
then, should they be denied the
privilege of watching former col
lege stars perform on Sundays and
holidays? -
Professional teams of the present T
time play a high grade article CT
football and struggle just as hard
to win as do the college teams
Certainly, r0oters never have wit
messed more bitterly fought grid .
iron contests at Northrop field than
the AlI-Stars and Marines stage an
nuaIly at NicOIIet park These ALI
Star games have been an annual
feature in Minneapolis since 1906
and to date no scandals have been
connected with any of the games
Opponents of professional football
can find no fault with ret
ord like that
Funny thing about 1t IS that col
lege officials claim football should
not be commercialized. yet you I.
don't see them admitting the pub
lie free to the college games, DO
you? Well, not that you would no
tice. You're lucky to get in at two
or three bucks a ticket.
It is rather selfish of college au-
thorities to try and prohibit stu
dents from making money through
their gridiron skill after cOmplet-
ing their college careers. You Will F
observe that these same college
coaches who decry professional
football are not at all bashful IN
fat salaries for t1ei
OWN services as professionals ana
they are all former college graau-
ates, too.
1t is our upinoion that college Of,
fcials should abide by the ola
adage to live and let live.