The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-02-23
GENE RAPSS
MTR|CATE
RULES
BY Gene Tunney
Worlds Heayyweight Champion

BY Gene Tunney
Worlds Heavyweight Champion
The recent discussion az to
whether or not DIR. Ottp Peltzer,
the German middle and long dis
lance runner could compete on
American tracks, brings up the
same old trouble that has caused
suuabbling in amateur athletics
ever since ] can remember. would
like to see some action taken this
spring toward clarifying Internal
tional rules on amateur standings
and competition.
Track and other sports Of less
general appeal need boosting, and
Identification of the rules on anna.
teur standings would go a long way
toward making the sports more ct.
tractive.
The Olympic games are coming
on again and when they are FIN.
ished there will be another big
GROUP of amateur international
stars who will be in great demand
among the great majority OF fans
who cannot attend the games at
Amsterdam. Four years ago Paayo
Nurmi appeared as the world 9
nreniar long distance runner ana
the followers OF the tracks were
anwiolya to see him In action.
FEig aupeararce GIN the United
States helped this form Of sport
irnm1enseIy and hard ne il Ii, In.
door meets I'm which he ran
a. better than break even. But
the upr0ar that resulted - %
vvI,afher 0r not Nurkni WAS
being tainted with professional
iagI more than offset the ben0-
fit to track athletics.
One of the results Of the Nurmt
row was the complicated ruling
which applied TO DR.. Pe1tzer, and,
again. when eager fans insisted upon
reeing the German speed marvel,
conqueror Of the Finnish Nurmi ana
the Swedish runner Wide, the OLD ar.
gument had to be dragged out again
and discussed pro and con until the
visiting athlete must have felt any.
thing but welcome. 1t was almost
q foregone conclusion that Dr.
Peltzer would be allowed to compete
here, for his trip to America has
been sanctioned by the German ath-
letics bodies, and there was no ques-
ton about his amateur standing.
But all the red tape had to be un-
raveIed, only to be tangled up again
for other athletes visiting our
shores, to say nothing Of Ame- can
amateurs. Charlie Paddock, Loren
Murchison and q host of others all
have been hampered by the intricate
patched-up rules.
Billy Fawcett, who captained the
winning American trap shooting
team in the Olympic games at
Paris. said that he had experienced
the greatest difficulty in getting his
team sanctioned before sailing. One
OF his best men was lost at the last
minute because the officials, con-
Quoting a hair splitting probe, dis
covered that he owned a hardware
store out in Minnesota.
They reasoned" said FaWcetf,
shat 8 man who runs a hardware
store might keep shot guns Tor
sale and also might accept money
for a box Of shells now and again.
Hence, he was guilty Of rank pro.
fessionalism in the trap shooting
game and was utterly unfit to COM
pete with amateur gunners. An
other one Of my men was crossed
off the list at the start because in
the winter he sometimes does a
little hunting and trapping to fatten
up his income. I didn't even try to
enter the name of another man who
10 blasting expert for q large
powder company"
Again, amateur golfers are
always being criticised and
usually unjustIy, while the we'll
known tennis and football up
heavaIs I'm which C. c. Pyle
came out for open professional
ism did neither sport any par.
ficuIar good.
Personally I cannot see why
amateurism and professionalism
should conflict. There rightly
should be two divisions but it
should also be realized that ex-
pense money and incidenta1s simply
have to be paid in either classi-
fication. so why make a deep, dark
secret of it? Putting the sports
which need support on a sensible
financial basis does not at all mean
that the contestants have to be
paid large purses for appearing.
Nor does it mean a return to the
old evil of hiring ringers" for
college and other amateur ath-
letics, which, of course, was the
source OF the present complicated
rulings.
In the first place I should like
to see rules on the subject of
smateurism made to fit each sport.
The very nature of the various
competitions does not permit Of
their being governed under a blan-
ket code OF ethics. Amateur box
ing cannot be run like amateur
golf, and track athletics do not
present the same problems as
amateur tennis. Moreover, Ameri-
can athletes visiting in Europe and
Europeans competing here are not
possessed of the same advantages.
and a wider latitude f. absolutely
necessary in their activities.
l should say that an effective
set OF rules should first be
based upon the suppOsitiOn that
the amateur athlete enters into
various competitions with DeF-
fectly honorable intentions. In.
stead the spirit seems to be
that he is guilty until proven
innocent.
The very nature OF amateurism
places a man upon his honor and
the establishment of additional
petty rules, which might be unin-
tentionally violated. takes most of
the pleasures out Of being a loyal
amateur. Take, for example, the
case Of Caldwell, the Yale football
player who did not realize that in
: PLAYING for Yale after niavinS a