Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24


Il athletics would ever return
4 Ne again to our universities and
colleges.
Probably not College athletics to-
day involve matter of gate receipts
that frequently pass the million mark
| for Fall season.
College sport goes far beyond one foot
ball team playing some rival. II IS now
matter of almost complete student
participation in one branch or another,
where large gate receipts are needed TO
meet current expenses.
1t is all very we'll to decry Million
dollar receipts. But who is to finance
| the expenditures at universities where
| from 1000 to 1000 students are actively
! engaged in sport? Who is TO pay for
| the fields. the upkeep. the equipment,
| the trainers and the coaches for foot
| ball, crew, track and field, basket ball,
| hockey, lacrosse golf, tennis, base ball
and the rest of 1t?
There are many features Of the
| old informal system of student con-
| troll and the captains authority that
| have it all over the present system.
But that method could never meet
| the modern demand for coaches,
| trainers, playing fields and equip
| ment to handle the needs of sew
cral thousands of students from any
| number of universities.
| For example, one leading university
recently had 26 foot ball coaches. But
those 26 coaches were needed for varsity,
reserve, class and hall teams number
| ing over 500 foot ball players. That
meant one coach for every 20 players.
which Is hardly extravagant. What
| chance would college foot ball captain
| have now of directing such an enter
r&t1 f1s Il De pn11nON
| work?
The old order has changed from the
days when few played and the others
| watched. Today about 80 per cent are
| playing some game and without large
gate receipts they would be without
playing fields or without training and
equipment.
The Modern System.
THE modern system isn't perfect. It
has it's share of flaws. But it all
L comes down to the greater good
for the greater number. Suppose the
captains we're put in full charge and all
gate receipts were abolished to build up
an informal amateur plan.
That would also mean the end OF
mass athletics. Few universities
have sufficient endowments to pay
the professors what they deserve,
much less pay 100000 year for
sport.
The old system and the new system
came into conflict and the modern
system won out--possibly to the slight
detrinent of certain ideals. but for the
undoubted good of the student masses
along lines of physical training and
recreation.
Mile Runners.
A GOOD many years ago the United
N States led the game over the mlie
"A route when John Paul Jones and
Norman Taber were at the peak.
They were record holders until Nurmi
came along to beat their best time by
| about 2 seconds. Nurmi has lost part
| of his old speed and now Conger ana
Iermond are at least on an even oasS
with the best Of the milers.
An outdoor test over the mile route
with Nurmi, Wide, Conger, Lermond
and Perje entered would be q
thriller.
Great Britain has the best half miller
In the game In Douglas Lowe, who
proved his case in two Olympics-Paris,
1924. and Amsterdam. 1928. That's all
the proof you can ask from any runner.
Nurmi may be able to work back TO
his old speed, put speed rarely noioe
on as the years shoot by, and Nurmi
has been travelling on his feet for a
long time as star competitor. AT
least there is no one in sight fast
enough to beat his record mark OF
4:10 Us, which may stand for some
years to come.
From Catalina to Florida.
TWO years ago Johnny Farrell won
either seven or eight big tourna-
i mentS in a season, but no one
golfer has ever covered as much
winning ground as Horton Smith, who
has extended his sweep from the
Catalina Islands, on through Oklahoma
and Texas, into Florida. And the North
and South open at Pinehurst is still
ahead.
Other young pros have popped out
of the fogs with the fash and dash
Of champions for one tournament. or
a few rounds. But no other pro has
shown the remarkable consistency OF
the Joplin Phenom, who has hooked
brilliancy and steadiness together
for six months over 10000 miles OF
terrain.
In many respects Horton Smiths