Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-01-10


M professional athletes
- Of the right age to
Gr,ntI,na R,c. enlist.
1 ~ "Young, unmar-
ried athletes earning fame or mon
ey next year will not be popular
heroes. Certainly mot with the divi-
sions scattered all over the United
States. think you can get their
viewpoint. The luck Of the draft
won't be taken into consideration.
They will not be cheering stars who
are young, strong and well fixed
financially. It will be just rs II was
In the World war more than 20
years ago.
The Netu Schedule
II think l can give you the new
schedule, as army and navy Off
Gals think it will pan out. There
will be baseball and football games,
plus boxing matches, between regi-
ments and divisions and armies.
These men in camp will need some
thing beyond the average to break
up their routine existence. They
won't get this from entertainers, ex-
cept in part. In fact, they can only
get it from sport, and that win
necessarily mean the top-ranking
part of sport.
at will mean the best Of our
football players, college and pros.
1t will mean many Of our better
big league and minor league base
ball players. They will have to como
In, either from the draft, or through
the force II public demand. The
old term Stacker proved very ef-
fective in obtaining recruits during
the World war.
"They won't be getting any extra
money for this service. There will
be no cashing in. It will be compa-
ny against company - regiment
against regiment-division against
division-army against army, and
then you'll see some real competi-
ton.
"This means we will suddenly
have the greatest amateur swirl in
our history. We will have games
that will overshadow Michigan and
Minnesota, or all the bowl contests.
They will take place all over the
map. But they will be army and
navy contests in which Bob Teller
may be pitching against Bucky Wal
tiers or Joe Louis may be facing
Billy Conn-not for World Series
money or 40 per cent Of the gate
receipts, but for the pride and honor
Of the regiment or the division. Just
the way that Gene Tunney fought in
France.
"You may not believe me, but this
is what will take place."
The Right Angle
This seems reasonable enough. In
the last war l know the feeling en-
listed men had against those who
were still cashing in on their physi-
cal ability to play some game. It
was bitter.
This time we are not at war. But
in many respects camp life is worse
than war, when 1t comes to the mat
ter of dull routine. This routine will
have to be broken up. The only an
swer is sport. With . million or two
million men in camp, averaging less
than $50 4 month from private to
lieutenant, you can understand how
they would feel and their people
would feel about younger and
stronger athletes mopping up finan-
cially.
You may say this is unfair-that
the luck of the draft is all that
counts. Well, the luck of the draft
won't count with those fellows get
ting up at reveille and waiting for
taps Not unless human nature has
changed completely.
They didn't ask for it, either, but
they got it. They are not going to
start cheering for some young fell
low around 81 or q or Is. making
the headlines or getting big money,
through physical skill, while they
are carrying a gun or driving
tank or flying plane for buck
day and no headlines.
A Change Due
So far the volunteer enlistment
and the draft seem b be unimpor-
tanE Sust walk . few meatAs. II
win be quite di6erent. There win be
q tremea6sas change b neatal At
tituAe - he part e tie Pubic, ~
ven n thsse moving frem reveiTle
= ta8s.
There stin win be big-league base
ball and college and pro football
gamee. But think there stin = q
~ chance theoe yin b secondary
nas3ses - army nd navy sDset