The Washington times., 1923-01-02
RECORD YEAR IN
! SPORTSFOR
1923SEEN
Day of High Salaries for Pro-
fessional Athletes Is Gone,
Leaders Believe.
RY DAVIS ]. WALSH.

NEW YORK, Jan. 2.-Sports Of
all kinds are in for greatest sue
cess during 1928, they have ever
known, according to the views ex-
pressed today by men of prom
hence in the field Of competitive
athletics. The rebound from the
flush times following the war
and the subsequent deflation is
about to set in, they declare, and
this will manifest itself in bigger
crowds and higher type of COM
petition.
The general idea seems to be
that the day of high prices is gone,
however. Boxers, ball players and
other professional athletes, who got
theirs while the getting was at its
best, will be forced to accept less
money than they have in the past
few years, and in consequence, adj
mission prices will be lower and
crowds greater, it Is declared.
One OF the men who regard the
future in this light Is Senator
James j. Walker, father Of the
boxing and baseball laws in New
York State.
"YOu can say for me that the
two major sports, boxing and
baseball win have their greatest
success during 1923," he declared.
'eWhen boxers realize that re-
turn to normally is inevitable,
they win step down from the
exalted position they now as
sumo. The result viii be more
fighting and less talking"
IT look for at least a half dozen
championship fights to be held be-
fore next year rolls in and I think
1t is very possible. that one Of them
will see Jack Dempsey in the ring
against a real contender, possibly
Harry Wills.
1.-THE erection of, the new Yankee
stadium : win mean much to all
sports. It will provide baseball
with the greatest source of revenue
1t has ever known, and for the
first time a crowd OF more than
A, 1000 at ball games will be a rule
rather than a rarity. The field
win also furnish the site for big
boxing matches, football games,
track meets and in fact all popular
outdoor sports. It viii be a monu-
ment to q new era in athletics"
Col. T. L. Huston, who recently
sold out his interests in baseball,
also predicted that the stadium
would do more for sports than the
average person can conceive at
this time. .
az hated to get out Of baseball
at this time because know. the
Yankee club is on the threshold of
fits biggest financial season. The
stadium will seat more than 200
persons In such "a way that I ex-
pect to see it become the scene
q all big sport events.
'The trouble with football, II
there Is any, is that at least some
portion Of the crowd is n5S IN
position to watch the run Of the
game adequately. At the Yankee
stadium any person VIII be able 20
follow all plays intimately, and
think the time Is not FAR distant
when all big games IN the East,
with the exception of those play
ed by the big three viii be held
there"
Tex Richards prediction IL that
boxers, with particular reference to
champions, will accept the inevitA-
BILE reduction in the size OF purses
and that an unusually lengthy list
Of big fights is in prospect for 1928.
THAT goes for Leonard, Demp-
sey and all the other champions
who think their services are worth
a fortune" he said. "The money
isn't there nowadays, and from per-
sonal observation, I think most of
the fighters have come to realize
this fact. When all Of them do,
you will see plenty Of real action
In boxing and I look for this to