The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-17
SPORTS BROUGHT IN OVER HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
Great Year In Athletics Close With Golf Leading For American Games
By WESTBRooK PEGLER Leased Wire To Tho ASe-Eerald.)

sLeascd Wire To The AEe-Eerald.)
 NEW YORK, Dec. I6.-This has been Anerica's s hundred million dol lar sport year. And that estimate is only a flying leap at the remotest approximation efethe true figures on Americas bill for 3 good time since last January 1. Ii can be multiplied by the inclusion sof some incidental costs of sport which were left out of the calculation les they burn the bearings of the adding machine.
 For tickets to fights. games and races. for sporting gear, not includ- ine clothing such as golf knickers, NJ range in price from S2.50 to $iaa Tor caGdy hire and club dues, and .or other immediate costs of par tici alton in sport actively or pas .siv.ly. the eopie of this country paid at least $ie0,000.000
 34 Tle estimates do not count the cost of the Yankee stadium, the Dart mouth stadium or the concrete dish at Forest Hills where the Davis matches are held. They take no ac- coGnt Of the money newly invested since last New Years day in subur- baa meadows to be converted into iol. lanes. such as the S300,000 pur- clIs55t fy the Siwanoy club of New -Ssis.ss. Nc.t}ter do they include the l3ii15saes uf gallons of gasoline con- sl1ute1 py the golfers in visiting their f, e5f:ea pastures, nor the other mil lio.5 ,1.t iouled the air of the col le@e t0uis when thousands of auto 7i. .a5.les We're on the move to the vet '&-5 ud football games. Railroad 1ares also aro let aIone as being too wage d total for authentic reckoning.
 Tnis cuu#t.ng of the change after the years oill has been paid relates in f.astict.laF to golf. tennis, base bal football. racing and prizefight- ins
 Hunt.ne. polo. yacht!ne and trap tiUe--iOuf very os,pen nsiNe pleas ures--tfati. and field athletics, bas- lset bali, college and other amateur baseball. and fishing and winter sports, all of which involve invest n1ent in equipment or livestock. have cost this country enough In year to paper the state of Texas with a three-ply blanket of dollar bills. Much Not Calculated.
 But no attempt is made to an nounee the bill for these activities because it would be no better than guess, anyway. AS the American Game Protective association, claims there are 5,000,000 hunters in the country, each spending at least S1o year for ammunition and licenses, it might not be eXaggeration to total 1ip the bad news for the entire cost of all sports at half billion.
 Mr. Innis Brown of the American Golfer has been trying to count the cost of this now characteristic American weakness. When he got the bill up to s5,5o0.000. he went out to get a new fiVe-cent pencil-one that would last.
 eNow. bear in mind that I am con- servatiVe in all my figures" MT. Brown requested There are 1.000,- cO0 people in this country who play at least 0 rounds year. There are 5000 golf clubs with I low average Of 200 members each, which makes 6G0. GOO men. to say noIhing about their wives and children whose own scores speak louder than words. Then there are 50 or 50 public courses in the country, and if you have ever waited in file to tee off on week end or holiday at free meadow. you probably thought there were mil Hon golfers on that course alone.'
 "Sticks-they're hard to estimate. AfeGregor & Spalding make lot of them. and then the club profes- sionals all make some by hand which Are very expensive. l believe that new duffers. outfittinE themselves for their first games. and old play CTS renewing their bags, spend an average Of S7.5e each on sticks"
 So. bang ATr. Brown shot another G7.500.000.
 c Q O
 taddics Cost Also.
 Then he spoke of the caddes. He supposed that only half of the golf ing personnel used caddies at all. which was modest of him. and that the average fee for round was 50 cents. whira was d trifle tight for some localities. That would be s5.- OQ000 more
 The avcraee dues he reckoned at 000 This hrought the cost of roaming through green pastures up to $51,500,000.
 The physical property of golf or Sanization is a permanent asset. and 90 the prorata cost Of this year can alotsDe dug out However, there are ones Were established in year in Texas. a state which had only 10 elubs all told 10 years ago.
 SIr Ed Moss of the United States Lawn Tennis association, laughed shrilly at Mir. Browns estimate or must be several million tennis play CTS and what was this game of golf anyway. compared to the game of Tilden and Johnston and Ander- son?
 There are only 650 tennis clubs in the country, and their membership Mill hardly run higher than 65,000. but hundreds of thousands of people play tennis who belong to no clubs.
 That, he said was the attraction of tennis. +~yone with a partner eFf a plot 50 feet by loo, could play tennds. Balls cost 50 cents each and, except in tournament play. will last about half dozen sets without de- teriorating too much. Packets are about S10 each and then there are shoes, which are S distinct item of ,xzu..uuuuuu-us.-usu. 4 Deaxh1f.a