The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-12
Corruption in the
Bosses Sport
Movement
BY ST GERsON

The boss controlled sports movement Is NOS
exempt from the effects of the crisis. PressurS
brought upon these organizations by the worker
sportsmen and by the weight of the conflicts
within them have recently again brought out
some of the inner decay of these organizations.
The workingclass sports movement, under the
leadership of the Red Sports International tbs
American section Of which is the Labor Sports
Union, has continually pointed out chat the
bosses sport movement is corrupt, that theG
so-ca1led amateur" athletes are actually profess
Sionals even from their own point Of view. q
PaavO Nmmi N
We gave the example some time ago OF Paav6
Nurnni. This sterling example Of "amateurisrne
never put cent in his pocket for his services
He preferred to take it home in a wheel-barrows
Paavo used this little racket: He got carfar@t
He received his expenses from Finland TO New
York which was all as it should be :. maybe
But then he was billed to run in number og
other cities-Newark, Chicago etc. So friend
Paavo and his manager Cinagine an amateur
who needs managerD decided to collect "ex+
penses" for their work And they got itt
Nurmi received expenses from Finland 20 Newas'
ark, from Ti-'o7e7 p Chicago, from Finland tel
every city in which ne c9.o~e'ed. Needless to
say, when he went home he TOOK quite 8 bit
more than medals back with him. After his
tour in the United States, peculiarly enough =
there was a loan made to Finland by large
New York banking house Not little Of tnss
money is now the financial bulwark Of Tho
actually fascist Svinhud government I
Jean Ladonmegue
Jean Ladonmegue is a French gentlennaEa !
whose legs are long and whose inclination 30 I
run (for consideration is great. He also ran !
and was sl1owered with substances much more !
material than mere praise. But alas and alackg :
Aoa5 Na9A ESSam
Athletic Federation, with great show Of in=
dignation and national self-sacrifce, struck hia
name OFF the rolls. Placing Satan Gin the form
Of this sure-fire Olympic point winner) behind !
them, they boldly cleansed the French A. A. F. |
Of Ladonmegue !
And now Nurmi has had the axe descend |!
upon his head The International Amateur Atf1-
letic Federation has barred Nurm1 from an !
international athletic competition.
Coming at this time, three months before
the Los Angeles olympic games, these disbars
ments are no accident. They come at q time I
when the bosses sport movement, like the capi-
talist system generally, is under the raking fire.
Of the working class. In Europe, particularly
is there tremendous movement for the boya
cotting of the Olympic Games because Of tho
fact that the major portion Of the games are
being held in California, the state in which Toni
Mooney is being held a prisoner on universally
acknowledged frame-up AS result OF this
boycott movement, the entire Swedish team
refused to come to the United States to compete.
The workers sport movement had exposed the
class character and the corruption that is rotten
rife in the bosses sport organizations. (And
in Europe, we may add in passing, the columns
Of "LHun1anite" and the "Rote Fahne" are a
little more accessible to the worker sportsmem
than are some Of our working class papers hereD
haS IN ne
seeing through the hinsy sport for sports
sake" lies Of the bosses sport organizations
They were beginning to see them as foul webs
made only to enn1esh them in pre-rnilitary and
fascist service They were beginning to see the
corruption an becoming cynical Of the health
hooey handed out by the chiefs of these organic
cations. They were beginning to see their ante
labor character. The army officers, barons and
milhonaires who control these organizations got
together. They had i'll They would expel one
or two Iready exposed sinners-and thus res
store confidence in their Classics" 'dennos
cratic" amateur" organizations.
Worker sportsrnen-and workers generally
should understand the purpose Of these tricks
They should understand that these tricks are
meant to fool the sport-loving workers and keep
them in the bosses sport organizations. Theses
bosses sport organizations lin the o. S. the
Amateur Athletic Union, the Y. M c. A.. Y M.
H. A. Community Centers Matty VOLS Sports
manship Brotherhood, etc., are doing everyA
thing in their power to whip up nationalist feel-
ing among worker sportsn1en in connection with
the Olympic Games. This noisy jingoism in the
sports world" has definite connection with
the stirring up of war hatred particularly
against the Soviet Union.
For the Counter Olympic Campaign!
Worker sportsmen-and, we must emphasizes.
militant workers generally-have the task OF
combating these tricks Of the bosses sport
organizations. Workers must combat the Olym~
pic Games and help develop powerful Counter
Olympic campaign in this country. The fullest
support should be given the various Scottsboro~
Tom Mooney Street Runs being held in num-
Der Of cities. The Counter Olympic meets that
will be held in many cities and towns all over
the country should get the unqualified endorse
ment Of all workers. The entire militant labow
movement must help in the Counter Oympie
campaign and in the holding OF the Interna~
donal Workers Athletic Meet in Chicago ON
July Goth, 3Qth, 3lst and August 1st This CAM
paign viii help us build powerful Labor Sports
Union in this country, strong mass organize
ton Of labor on the sports 'front.'