Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
DO W n THE LINE

at Drake University declared that Muir
mrs manager demanded a guaranty.
and quite substantial ore, for Nurmi's
appearance at a Drake athletic meet.
Thls accusation afterward was with
drawn.
Then there was an. inquiry into the
travelling expenses paid the Phantom
FINN. 1t was intimated that when he
Travelled as far as from Boston to New
York his travel expenses indicated that
ne went by way of the Boring Strait,
the Suez Canal and Cape Horn and
thence to Vancouver, concluding the
trip by taking the Canadian Pacific and
stopping for a few days at Montreal.
The A. A. U. had attempted to indi-
cate just what meets Nurmi should take
part in, and that seemed to create more
trouble. But in the end it was decided
that Nurmi was simon pure amateur
and that everything was according to
Hoyle, the A. A. U. and the affiliated
amateur bodies. Nurmi, they decided,
took nothing back to Finland but a few
trunkSful OF medals, cups, watches and
other trophies of negligible value at a
pawnshop and that he Travelled only as
Phantom Finn should travel when he
was not travelling under his own steam.
Oh course, Nurmi was what the boys
showed himself to be the greatest draw
ing card among the runners. Nurmi,
at an indoor or outdoor meet, meant a
fun house for that particular meet If
he had been a professional he would
have been entitled to about 90 per cent
Of the gate receipts. But then Nurmi
was an amateur, and an amateur must
not receive any remuneration. The A.
A. U. decided that Nurmi had not re-
ceived dime outside of his legitimate
expenses for travelling. So that was
that.
Hard to Enforce.
1t seems that amateurism is about
as hard to enforce as prohibition. Then
why bother about it?
Either the A. A. U. and the other as
sociations concerned with the preserva-
ton of amateuriSm in athletics go too
far or not far enough. If all of the
| amateurs under their jurisdiction are
amateurs in spirit, then they insult
them by oVer-regulating them.
IL they are not amateurs in fact and
spirit and it is so vitality necessary to
preserve amateurism in athletics, then
the A. A. u. and the others should have
detective following every amateur of
note all the time. That is the only
way that amateurism can be preserved
Dy force. even tnen lC might be some
what difficult. There are ways that are
dark and tricks that are vain for
foiling the great cause of amateurism,
if the individual amateur is in the mood
to have it foiled.
Probably the A. A. u. and affiliated
organizations realize this and have
tacitly come to the understanding that
if they cannot have complete amateur
ism they will have as much amateurism
as possible under the circumstances.
An Amateur Sues.
One recalls the story of the athlete
who sued Boston hockey club for pay
due him as an amateur. He explained
that the pay for the amateur hockey
players was left in tobacco tin in the
box Office. Whenever he came around
to the tin It always was bare. Some of
the other players must have beaten him
to it. he concluded. or else the manage
ment was abSent-minded.
There was some justice in the suit.
If amateur athletes are to be paid. they
should be paid in certified checks or
cash in the open and not by the tobacco
tin route.
Copyright, 1927