New Britain herald., 1930-10-06
INTEREST IN BASEBALL


 It is quite a common practice to compare present interest in the World Series and baseball in general with the interest which is supposed to have existed in the past. Down in Bristol, for instance, it is reported that there is "an obvious lack of enthusiasm" Furthermore, it is stat ed lone no longer sees crowds gath does he hear emphatic discussions and expressions of the merits or de- merits of the players and the teams"
 That may be the case in Bristol but it is not the case everywhere, in cluding New Britain. In front of the Herald's Playograph have been large crowds during each World Series games, and during the period when the two major leagues were ending their seasons there was quite a remarkable crowd waiting for the final baseball returns in front of the Herald baseball bulletin board each afternoon.
 The situation narrows down tc this; That rivalry between the teams in any league stimulates interest and does not fail to obtain it. Most of the public interest during the league races was centered in that of the National league, and all attendance records were broken in Brooklyn, which was a contender for first honors; and attendance was high in the other cities having the teams threatening to be pennant winners. There was lessened interest in the American league because the Ath- letics had the pennant sewed up in a bag for months.
 In the International and American Association leagues the experience was about the same: The cities with | winning teams" received patron age while the other received less. Few towns are like Boston, which | will patronize two losing teams year after year.
 In the small bore leagues, like the | Eastern, matters are different, and | Hartford lost it's team for lack of l patronage. It is possible that the | eventual disposal of the Eastern league will be similar to that of the old Connecticut league, which flourished for time. Old-timers | hereabduts remember well the days when the baseball crowds used to assemble in Electric park, near Sharp's station along the Plainville electric line. Yet when this league "bew up years ago, there were no | claims that the public was taking 1 less interest in professional baseball l than merly. It was merely a case of where receipts did not equal ex- penditures. It takes plenty of money to operate league baseball team.
 Conditions at present are not good | for any kind of sport. The recent | pugilistic encounter between Louis Kid Kaplan, former featherweight | champion, and Bat Battalino, pres cnt featherweight champion, in Hartford was a case in point Both men being from Connecticut, there vas wide interest in sporting circles hcreabouts. and although there was large crowd at the site of the | combat, there were also empty seats, and thousands who didn't attend | would have done so if they had had the money to spare.
 Professional football in Hartford ] is practically dead. But that does not i mean interest in football is dead | College football prospers as never before, and the rivalry between the | Hartford and New Britain high ! school football team tells a unique | story.
 Interest in basketball is also said ! to be waning" in Hartford, but 1 there are penty of teams on the 1 floors every winter
 Trying 10 judge the fate of sport, or even an amusement, by attend ance at the moment-especially dur ing period of distressful Hoover prosperity-is far-fetched. One can just as well claim that interest in the theater is waning merely because theatcrs, during the depression, lack the crowds they used to have. Analysed, it will be found that the lack of interest coincides quite thoroughly with the lack of ready money by many persons who would attend performances if they could spare the price.
 When the much -heralded turn for the better comes" interest in all these things will pick up also.
 THE ELEGIONNAIRES GATHER