The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-04-17
r SIMMER SPORT is BIG
FEEIneINFss VENTURE, WITH
sHaI1LIONS INVESTED.
L,cNATES TAKE BIG CHANCE

r. the Cost Oh 1i"so
ADDED a Big Salaries, Heavy Train
Au and Travelling Expenses, and
. Ga Gamble on Rockies"
- tomorrow, Wednesday, April
~ IN the baseball player again trots
OIL tbe national stage and holds the
N 5 iIJb for another season. In the
polns .a7 and National leagues, and
hnlTlle'' two minor leagues, the UNI
sne VI oous "Play BALI" the thousands
pre- ~ o'' stand are hushed in tense ex-
.,r the pitcher winds up his
o'' the bail shoots toward the plate,
Ill., batter swings, and the annual
B,sebal season is on.
Babe Ruth at Bat.
r,a national pastime again engross-
iLt attention of the great Ameri-
+ u" ooaennl" Politics-will President
4.-d;ng again be candidate?-wars
d u rprmors of wars?-will there be
n ~ coal strike?-these are ques-
p lu,"N relocated to the limbo of for
\ o Or5 things for the time being. Babe
b,tb is at the bat! Will he clout a
somer3 VIII he strike out? That is
BHt consider baseball as business,
Ia canita1 invested, salaries paid, re-
a;ots taken in at the ticket window,
miner of men earning their liveli-
] ood at it, gambling chances of the
8ragnates. the parks, the training
'r;%S-Iook at it from a business
Itandpoint and think in terms of mill
Millions of dollars invested Millions
\ dollars expended. Millions Of fans"
H. millions of players, for would not
grcrv honest-to-goodness American
Bov rather have the fame of a Babe
brth than that of the president of the
lorntrv that gave him birth?
Think in Millions.
The first game of baseball played
Il this country to which admission
Has charged took place at the old
fashion Race Course, near Jamaica,
l.. on April 20, 1858, between the
Kew York and Brooklyn clubs of the
hen National Association of Baseball
PLAYERS A few thousands filtered
Trough the gates. The receipts were
Negligible, amounting to less than ST.
400.
Now think in terms of millions. The
18th game of the world series be-
tween the Giants and Yanks last year
rev 38,551 persons. They paid $135,-
n to see the contest. The world Sc
lies games in 1921 netted total re-
teipts OF S9O0,233.
Consider all the games played dur
he the season by the ia clubs of the
i professional leagues in the. coun-
Hy. Consider the semi-professional
James. the college games to which
omission fees are charged all over
he country, and the dollars reach a
Itaggering aggregate. The type cases
Exhaust their "naughts" to publish the
|ptal.
A Fortune a Season.
Consider the salaries paid the play
rs The National League was organ
led in 1876, the American in 1902.
'wenty years ago $4,000 a season was
good salary tor star player. ms
JASON Babe Ruth will pocket $4,000
Dr cavorting about the diamond and
outing out a homer every other day
r so.
Now the gamble of it. Ruth may
G one awful hzzle this year. He was
st year. If he doesn't knock the ball
yer the fence the $4,000 is his just
lie same, so much per month. And
Outing homers is his strong point,
rawing thousands through the gates.
he falls down the extra thousands
i'll stay at home.
Ten years ago if a magnatc paid
1000 for a star player the news
.ould be hcralded from coast to coast
asst autumn the manager of the Chi
ago White Sox paid 100000 for the
elease OF Willie Kamm, an inhelder,