Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

GAtJST, iUT UNOEcObtOn eFCtHStCety JOY
The Even.ng 5t1r AID the North
American Newspapor A!lionce. Short
~ before R;c@Gr'3'S JcatG he dis
cus3cd 13!tt Badger pans for pn0.i-
cation Of these memoirs in book
form. FoI,oic.aJ is the Seventeenth
inj.G-T3cIt OF tie Autobiography,
1o'tic,i IS Gql1df.nJ in daily c1Gp-
tiers.
IL TEX RICHARD.
I'm collaboration with BozcmaI Bu!Gerl
c.pysisht 1929 by tho North American
A-wSp@pcr Al-aace.
TIME cpcn air arena is h place
t.Ic OILY p.ace-to hold a bis
chang lonsh.p fight, Following
L my experience in Golddeld with
Ire G1n5-Nc.Son fight that idea
sun.s mo my n1icl. l have never got
over IL. i nave staged ether big 1lgh S
in Madi0n Squire Ciai1an and II base
ball parks, kIc the real place is Spe-
CiaLy b1lt arena.
The arena means more than the con-
vcnicncc Of handling the crowds ana
Independence CT halls ana PARKS. 1t
throws a glamour around Big fight
tina. nothing Csc approaches. It is
very difficult to 2S5o~i2te boxing with
eny otlaer sport. The mind OF the pub
lie must b, cen cred or q tight and
nothing else. There is some Of the CID
Roman gladia o. idea about II. Thou
sands of paop,e will so for hundreds OF
miles to an arena built for definite
purpose. when they might consider a
hail or a park q sort Of convenience
where they could so or not. Fight fans,
like all humans, ike to go to trouble
to see a big Spor ing event. They like
to make l. IN occas.on-a big mark In
thci- experiences Of the year.
Tor example IL the Yalc-Harvard
foot hail glIne w2s held in Madison
Square Garden there would be lack
of zest in getti2g to it. There would
be no neceSsi TO plan parties, arrange
motor trips and SO en-. A big sporting
event must be a sort Of mecca to which
people can journey from all parts OF the
country. I can feel this idea better
than cen express it. thing my read
ers know what mean.
Money Not Main Object.
In all sincerity, the consideration Of
how much or not little might profit
in a big fight never caused me much
concern. Always that was secondary.
In fact, did not go into the fight game
with the thought of making money. AS
I have related, was spurred into the
Johnson-J effries fight by joking car
paper. It was Of a jackaSS, braying
''Where is Tex Rickard?"
In other words, my pride was touched.
I wanted to prove that I could put on
another big fight and get away with it.
The fact of bringing one of these affairs
to successful conclusion gave me i'm
measurably more satisfaction than the
actual profit. OF course, did not want
to be sucker. Nobody does. have
known men of great wealth, who didn't
need any more money and never would
be in need of 1t, to work night and day
for weeks on deal just to show that
they still had punch-were not suck
erS.
So you can imagine the feeling Of &C.
comp,ishmcnt that came over me at el
we had successfully staged the Jeffries-
Johnson fight in spite Of all the early
difficulties.
BY this tine I wc5 getting a repu a.
ti7a as n big p.unger in fistic events
Tho Sayas ! had offered as purses were
looked upon as out Of all reason.
remember very well being lectured IN
friendly way by Bat Masterson, the
sports wri er. and others. Bat pointed
out that all my efforts, or most of them
went toward fattening the purses of
fighters and of others who got in on
the side, while barely got out with
the skin Of my teeth.
Profits Not Enormous.
In a way Masterson was right My
profits were not enormous, but I al
ways went on the theory that big bust.
reSs end small profits was better thar
little business and a bigger percentage
Of prof s. ! still think that is the reaI
WY to re business. / do not like g
piknr. Shoot everything to make the
sffair a big success and the final set
Ting up viii take care of itself, is my
principle.
A lot Of people seem to have the idea
that had given up everything to &c
into the fight promotion business. That
is not true. kept my other enterprise.
going all the time. Up until tool
over Madison Square Garden the f1gh
business was q sort Of sporting side lirt
with me. It was my recreation. It was
a big game, one liked to play.
studied 1t and handled my cards &C.
cordingly.
The main thing I have found is Il
ascertain as near as possible what tht
fighters and the public want and try t.
satisfy them as nearly as possible.
Notwithstanding a prevailing idea
that the grudge fight viii attract un-
usual attention, I do not believe 1t
big sporting event; likes to regard the
fighters themselves as being sportSmen
I have made a point, as have men,
toned before, of seeing that my fight.
ers were friendly before and after the
fight. The public likes that. I'm sure.
Newspapers Make Fight.
The next step was to assist the news.
paper men In getting what materia
they wanted. Oddly enough, there is al
much interest, if not more, in the pre-
lininary arrangements for a big flgh
as in the spectacle itself. I never at
tempted to direct publicity. Give TIT
newspaper men an opportunity ant
they will make the event interesting IL
a hundred different ways. Never in m,
life have told a newspaper man VIVA
! thought he ought to write. I hav
discussed matters very frankly wit!
them. bat 70 at+arlct il1ia 2ncing thu
opinions would be fo0lil2Tiy. Besides
that kind OF publicity wouldn't be wcrl
a nicLcl Thy know what the pu0lt
wants to rad.
Though / always vas an irYeterat
news922c~ rccdcr. never fully re@!ize
10 what C:.-cnt they would 60 for new
about p..Ze f~Nt I'M Il orr C2r5-N9l
sen aCa.r ct Go'di,ld. had oz22ctc
pu5,iC!sT. OF cGu"G@, bit it had neyc
occurred y r. that hundreds CT news
paper r,en world c0rle frcEl ell OTt
the Uni.ca Gt2tcs al the c. va {
thc.r pa2cTs II 90 It's. That E.s C..Tc
IL Let CT though.
Cne d. I ne ti,2 circllat' = m r
fg,r OF ere Of the b.35.5t NV Yoi
newspapers.
TIL me-" / es',cd him. why q
n-ws- Np-r5 deyc,e . much more spaC
20 a clanDi0nGh.p rr'Zo lgat hon
any other one event IN the news Of u
Cay2"
why. as heo~"-o the r'lb,.c wan
- read about g." n Taid. DO yc
know thqt o big ch mp onship e~h.