The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-11-15
Labor Must Not Bite on
Football Hero Bait of
Ruling Class Politicians

BY J. LOUIS ENoDAHL.

TODAY several millions of football crazed fans will jam
hundreds of stadums the country to witness the
recognized first place college sport of the United States
Sunday mornings newspapers will be filled with the
Of the games played and the pictures of grid
iron heroes of that still manage to shine The foot
ball Iumnay takes his place with the champion prize fighter
and the successful baseball player They constitute the trio
of heroic gods the American supposed to
worship Together they fill the caendar-summer fall,
winter and spring.
In the of the meIght Of the football idol wor
shippers stands Harold E. ('RedO Grange His quaifica
in kicking inflated piece of pgsn thus helping to
pile up the and win games for the University OF Illinois
that he attends Because of all this the newspapers rave
about him. jam untold of printed froth into the
are forced to admit in self defense that RED Grange is one
greatest of all time. One of the results
is that Grange receives offer of $4,000 to appear in three
games the American readiness to capitalize IN dollars any
caught in the ever-shifting glare OF publicity
another interesting phase of this
cuating petitions get to have his placed on
the ballot candidate for in next
years elections not because Grange able to kick and
rum also able to help guide the political destiny OF the
land that he singled out He chosen because the pub
cy he has received has made him known practically to
every household state; the publicity every capitalist
candidate office seeks helps him get the votes
and resulting victory election day Scratch this effort
send "Red" Grange to Washington and you Will lind
willy old party politician schemng to build up his political
machine.
The of "Red" Grange going into politics is not new
It old in American politics. It only one phase
of the perverson of sports under capitalism and the hood
winking workers and farmers who constitute the
overwhelming of the voters An athlete possesses no
special political qualifications Instead the development of
muscle usually proceeds to the detrment of the BRAIN
Babe Ruth gets his nickname not because OF his size
Physically is big all baseball fans know. But mentally
he considered but child Walter Steens, the famous
Chicago University quarterback when sent to the Chicago
city council proved nonenty voting the political bosses
directed him. This of qualified him for election as
capitalist Judge Similar could be recorded without
number.
Sports and athletics not deprecated in Soviet Rus
But instead of lifting few athletes into the l1eght
the masses drawn into heathgivng exercises. Work
ers and the Soviet Union foolish enough
to elect athlete, because he jump, to poll
tcaI office He will show in addition that he is able
direct and enhance the building OF the workers political
power that challenges the rule of capitalism
Let the workers and farmers Of Illinois remember this
as political bosses try to lure them into support OF the
football of the day. The pgsn pet of the parasites
who able give their children higher education, while
the children of labor sent into industry must not become
an election day idol considerable number OF those who
toll Those suffer under capitalist exploitation must
not only build their strength politically but must
also pick their standard bearers from their ranks
Such working class fighters will never receive favorable
mention the profit press tho they might have been in
their youth the best athletes in all the world