San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-24
BASKET BALL CROWDS
AT "BIG TEN" GAMES
WILL TOTAL MILLION
Winter Sport Shows Ire
mendous Growth in
Middle Vest.
BY the Associated Press

Chicago, Feb. 2d.-Basket ball has
achieved such popularity in the West.
ern Conference that officials today
predicted the attendance for the 1922.
% season would exceed 1, 900 900 fans
When the game was given an insignifi.
cant start fifteen years ago. only q
handful of spectators turned out for
the contests.
While the game probably never Will
outrival football as college sport, il
is running the gridiron game a close
second in the ten universities com.
prising the Western Conference, and
it is far ahead of track and baseball
both in attendance and interest. Gym.
nasiums built ten years ago are hope.
lessly inadequate as crowds are turned
away talmost eveiy basket ball
game.
More than 100000 spectators in
all will watch the basket ball games
by Western Conference teams this
winter" said Maj. John l.. Griffith,
commissioner of athletics today. This
great winter game is rapidly growing
in importance in the Middle West. 1t
will never attract the crowds that wit
ness the football games. because it will
never be possible to furnish indoor ac-
commOdations for 10000 or $4,000
spectators.
I'm fact, the combined seating capa-
city of the ten basket ball buildings
in the conference in round numbers is
10000. Ohio State, with accOmmoda-
tons for 1000. has the largest basket
ball crowds in the conference. Illi-
nois and Iowa seat 5000. Northwest
Prn can take care of 1000. Michigan
is building field house that will seat
10000 basket ball fans, and Minnesota
is raising money to make possible an
enlarged physical education program
which includes basket ball. both in
tercollegiate and intramural."
The University of Michigan presents
a typical example of the wave of pop
ularity in basket ball as a college sport
in the middle west. The Wolverines,
up TO 1917. never played the indoor
game. Withdrawn from the Big
Ten the Wolverines maintained an
isolated position in sport and were
forced to invade the East for real COM
petition in football, baseball and track.
Because eastern popularity of basket
ball is not so general and because of
the expense of travel, Michigan had
never played basket ball.
When Michigan returned TO the con-
ference. basket ball was a major sport.
The Wolverines. in their first season,
did not win a game in the conference,
and in the two following years were
not much stronger. The next two
years. however, Michigan got into bas-
ket ball in earnest and the response in
attendance was surprising.
The Wolverines gymnasium, ten
years ago considered one of the finest
in the country. was entirely too small
70 accommodate the crowds that want
ed TO see the speedy and sometimes
rough indoor game. The new field
house, with a 10000 seating capacity,
is expected to remedy the situation.
Iowa opened its new armory last
winter, built largely because OF the
popularity of basket ball. 1t is one
of the finest buildings of its kind, and
can accommodate 1000 for basket ball.
Northwestern is finding that its gym
nasium. considered the last word in
athletic auditoriums when built few
wears ago. is entirely too small. The
same situation prevails at Illinois and
Ohio. Chicago. Wisconsin. Purdue,
Indiana and Minnesota still are using
antiouatcd gymnasiums. large enough
six or eight years ago, but now forced
IN f1rn away thrOngS