Evening star., 1936-08-19
GERMAN ATHLETE
GETS HOUSE, LOT
Similar Reward for Yankee
Olympic Champion Would
Make Him a Pro.
by FRANCIS J. POWERS.


Mr.. Avery Brundage and other
members Of the I. A. A. F. are
i not too busy polishing their
badges, they sit down and attempt
to standardize the rules Of anna
teurism. As matters now stand an
amateur in one country Is nothing
short of q heinous professional IN
another and vice versa, yet all COM
pete on even terms in the Olympics
and other international affairs.
One reads that Herr Helm, who up
held the honor of the German Reich
by pegging the hammer farthest in
the Olympic games, has been re-
warded with a house and lot by his
employers One also reads that an
other young German was elevated to
a lieutenancy or something OF the
sort in the police force by Herr Hitler
for meritorious performance In the
games.
It's Different Over Here.
NOV, in this country, if Jesse
Owens employers, provided Jesse
Owens had any employers, were to
present the Bullet with a patch OF
ground, the young man Immediately
would be kicked out of the A. A. U.
and all of its affiliated societies. The
same would be true in Great Britain,
but in continental European countries
they do not take amateurism with
such seriousness. Herr Helms en-
ployers found precedent for their
gift, going back in Grecian history
to that time when Olympic victors
not only were given monuments. but
also a parcel of land One doubts
that Mr. Avery Brundage and his
associates would object to the tomb
stone, but they certainly would squeal
If any potato patches were handed
out.
Some years ago when Bobby Jones
was winning golf championships, the
people of Atlanta wanted to show
their love for such prominent citi-
zen and collected fund to purchase
the young man mansion. No sooner
had word of that project been tele-
graphed around the country than the
~. .. Il. n.
his acceptance of the house would
make him persona non grata, or words
to that effect, at the national amateur
championship.
And once when William Tatum
Tilden gave his autograph and photo
graph to further the attractiveness OF
cigarette advertisement he was
severely chastised by the U. S. L. T. A.
In this country. an amateur must at
least make an outward pretense of
being Just that, although there used
to be rumors that some conniving was
done behind the doors by amateur
tennis players.
Olympic Fund Got His Coin.
THE story is told of one of our bet
= ter runners who wrote a magazine
article by hand or by ghost, dealing
with track and field sports. He was
informed by the A. A. U. that he must
turn the money received for the piece
over to some charity in order to pre-
serve his amateur standing. Not be-
ing we'll acquainted with charities,
the youth asked the A. A. U. for sug-
gestions and was told that no charity
was more worthy than the United
States Olympic fund. So into the kitty
went the check and the boy had tle
dubious satisfaction Of indirectly pay
ing his own expenses to Berlin.
The writer has no complaint with
Herr Karl Helm for accepting the
house and lot, for he probably Is a
deserving young fellow who can use
both a house and lot. But it does
seem rather ridiculous there should
be so many variations Of amateurism
throughout the world. Since amateur
bodies work so closely in most mat
ters, one wonders if single standard
Of amateurism is impossible, not alone
In track and field but also tennis and
other sports. United States and Great
Britain are most severe in applying
the yardstick Of amateurism, for the
term still is something of caste SYM
Dol in both countries, although not to
the extent it was 20 years. ago. Polo
Is the one sport in which there is no
distinction between amateurs and pro-
seSSionalS.
I am not opposed to any rules con-
cerning amateurism, but wish the gov
erning bodies of amateur sports would
get together on what is what. Some
Of our young boys and gals may be
rocked out of a house and lot some
time just because our A. A. U. doesn't
agree with the oldtime Greeks.