Evening star., 1928-12-30
CROWDS OUTGROW
PARKS AND ARENAS.
U. S. Spends 100000
to Make Year Greatest in
History of Sport.

Wy tIlS ICldAdlIUll Vi tItC
~ entertainment side or the body
building of the competitive side.
We won the Olympic games but lost
the Davis Cup. We gained fresh honors
en- the golf links and polo field, but lest
q heavyweight champion. Gene Tunney
got married.
Records were established and new
champions made many. yet the achieve
ments, however notable, run second to
the amazing interest and mad enthu-
siasm of those who more and more are
turning to the big outdoors and the rec
reational side.
Throngs See Events.
Millions literally paid millions to
satisfy this indulgence. Foot ball. base
ball, racing, tennis. polo, hockey and
all the rest set up staggering attendance
figures, which testify to the robust
health of athletics in general. A new
world record for the gridiron came
when 122 900 saw Notre Dame beat the
Navy in Chicago. Monster Stadia. seat
ing from 10000 to 10000. overflowed
time and time again. Base ball parks
were packed for the world series and
on holidays and Sundays. Racing never
before attracted so many patrons.
Boxing did fall off from that record
attendance of 100000. when Jack
Dempsey was beaten down FOR the sec
end time in 1927, but 1t is safe to say
that the figures for the year were bigger
than for any other, even though Tex
Rickard and his 600 mill:onaires lost
money when Gene Tunney and his deV-
astating punch ruined Tom Heeney.
That gate was only million or so, and
the bridegroom took mcst of that.
The statisticians tell us that over
s100, 1000. 600 was expended for sports IN
~ @k,-x1 al e r.
doubt if even this vast sum will pay the
bill The crowds are outgrowing the
parks, the arenas and the Fairgrounds.
Big Moments Of Year.
Thrills were packed on thrills and
drama on drama throughout the year.
Big moments were supplied by Banc
Ruth with his three home runs in the
final game of the world series; BY
Johnny Farrell in beating Bobby Jones
by single stroke in the play-oH OF
their tie for the open golf title; by Ray
Barbuti in winning the Olympic 400"
by 4 scant six inches; by Chris eagle.
Paul Scull and Ken Strong in Spea-
tacular foot ball pays; by Sabin Carr,
who scraped the ceiling in his mighty
pole vaule of IA feet l inch, when
long it had been predicted that -
feet was beyond human powers; by
Henri Cochet in coming from behind
to beat Frank Hunter for the national
tennis title; by the youthful United
States polo four in defeating the ia
vored Argentine team: by the Callfor-
mia crew IN outlassing Columbia at
Poughkeepsie and In beating Englands
best at the Olympic games; by Walter
Hagen in winning the open golf cham
pionship of Great Britain; by Reign
de- %r xr1C n the Kan-
lucky Derby, and by High Strung In
beating Roguish Eye head in the
Futurity Of $125,000.
Another big moment came and
most dramatic one, too, when Bill TIL
den, suspended on the eve Of the Davis
Cup match with Italy and then re-
instated temporarily to play against
Francs. rose in his might to beat Rene
La Cc5te. It was not enough to retain
shc cup, but it provided thrill
International vicsG-:es.
Champions sat unsteaGily On their
thrones. Many were pulled off as titles
changed hands. The competition was
SO keen that few escaped. In an in
ternational way the United States more
than held its own by winning the
Olympic games. the Walker Cup in
tina. Our one major reverse was in
lawn tennis. France retained the Davis
Cup and our national championship.
At home the accomplishments were
many and varied. Full details will be
found in the individual reviews, but it
Is fitting to touch on the high spots
of some Of the leading sports.
Victory in the Olympic games has
come to be an old story. This country
has not failed since the famous Greek
festival was revived In 1896. The United
States scored 131 points. counting
everything, to 81 for Finland. SO for
Germany SIS for Sweden and the other
nations, of which 80 took part scat
tering. 1t cost 5000, 900 to finance the
team. Our athletes established II new
Olympic records, of which seven were
world records.
On track and field the honors were
widely distributed. Victory came large
ly by weight Of numbers. In the field
events this country was supreme, but,
apart from two relay races, Ray Bar
butt was the only runner to win a
first place on the track, when he car
ried off the 400" in a spectacular
much of the kick out Of the games
for US.
We scored 10 firsts In swimming.
which helped nightly in the victory,
two in rowing and one in wrestling
but not single one in boxing or any
other line in the regular program out
side of the water sports.
Ruth a Spectacular Figure.
Babe Ruth as usual, was the most
spectacular figure in base ball. He
slashed out 54 home runs. just six be-
hind his own mark. set in 1927, and he
established a record for world series
hitting of .625. which is likely to stand
runs in the last game. No mightier
man with the bat ever lived. The
Yankees won the American League
pennant for the third year in success
sion, and for the second year in sue
cession carried of the world series in
four straight gameS-an unheard of ac-
complishment-by beating st. Louis. /,
champions Of the National League as
they had Pittsburgh the year before. )
the game, won the National League
hitting honorS with the high mark Of 3
$50. while Goose Goslin outbatted :
Heinie Manush in the American League {
by single point with .379.
Reign Count was q second Man o. /
War In racing. He won seven out of :
eight races. including the Kentucky
Derby, the Saratoga Cup, the Realiza- )
ton and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, :
beating the best horses in training. He !
now has been shipped to England on a :
big adventure which is as sporting as
the sportsmanShip of his owner, Mrs.
John d. Hertz. In sending him out to !
meet the best abroad.
High Strung, winner OF two Futurities, :
heads the list of winning horses with :
$l57, 500. while E. B. Mclean Of Wash (
inston supplanted H. p. Whitney among !