The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-03-11

y Of Frenchmen arrived Tuesday.
and OF all places, from France.
headed by Jean Borotra to compete
in the-what's that?- I'm so sorry
the chairman Of the chapel re-
minds me that it is a distinct viola
ton of rule 5.679 TO mention Mons
Borotra without reIerEng to him as
the bounding bosque-it shall not
happen again.
n
Wei. anyway the Frenchmen In Tues
day TO play against the American white
fannels In the annual indoor champion
ships which start Saturday at the Seventh
Regiment ArmorS. You are aware OF
course. that the Frenchmen are amateurs
and that they viii be competing against
amateurs. I mean there is no pay roll or
splitting Of gate receipts. or anything Of
that sordid sort.
I am not familiar with the precise de-
tails. but IT is my understanding the
Frenchmen have their expenses paid By
er fare board and lodging and such in
cidentals TO which international stars are
70 the Americans who must travel from from
such distant points as East orange. Tren-
ton and North Philadelphia.
n n
The monies taken In at the gate are
used to defray promotiona1 costs and IL
In the end surplus exists this is tossed
into general missionary fund for the ad-
vancement Of tennis erudition among the
provincials. Generally speaking the ar
rangements are very sound and equitable
and not at all smacking Of sharp COM
mercialism.
Certainly the tennis association makes
the most OF the funds at its command and
surely there is nothing scandalous about
comodations and the essential concomi-
tants while they are over here. without
them. can imagine the tournament would
De pretty nat indeed
COME of the boys are specializing
- what the amateur tournament,
which runs week, will draw at the
box office. Personally, I have never
been able to discover just what the
box office has to do with the spirit
Of amateur sport and the more abb
sorbing matter of relative abilities,
as represented by the combatants,
but the boys will insist upon getting
mercenary about these things.
n
"They don't draw as much in a week as
Jack CurIey's show took in one night"
predicts Mike Jacobs. the bird dog of the
amusement world. who is also more sedate-
" known as the champion ticket scaIper.
What Jacobs thinks about amateur ten
mis- is not terribly important because the
news reel. al. which time the gentleman
got up and left the theater II high dud i-
Going to tot the dogs" "''''
But nevertheless and notwithstanding
Jacobs comment is a reminder that for
the first time in many years a competitive
business rivalry. exists in tennis. Curley,
as YOU know, has professional troupe
metropolitan appearance thus far this sea.
son the troupe PLAYED to capacity and
prosperous trade at the Garden
featuring William ridden No. 2, is out on
the west coast and there is no danger that
sented as a counter attraction against the
amateurs; TO begin with Cprley Is not
that kind of door knob. Live ana let
live is his philosophy. Naturally Curley
prefers to live longer and better as who
doesn't2
n n
TXTHAT I am trying to swing
w around to is that Curley's
show undoubtedly lured a lot of
people who did not know a foot
fault from a head rest. They want
ed to be there because they had
read so much about Tilden and the
squatty little professional from
Prague and besides everybody else
was going to go and it seemed the
proper thing to do.
n
On the other hand the amateurs attract
only the tennis crowd which is easy enough
TO understand. This was true. / venture,
even of Tilden at the time he dominated
the amateur courts. Among those who
fammed the garden turnstiles to see him
play his first professional match were
probably many who wouldn't have gone out
TO Forest Hills to see him play on a bet.
Whether they'd go to see him play again is
something else. It doesn't take novelty
long to lose its appeal.