Evening star., 1945-01-08
Grid, Diamond Bosse,
Await C|arification
OF 4-Effers' Status

Regaining their compoSure after
the shock of President Roosevelt's
message to Congress urging enact
ment OF work or tight legislation,
professional sports leaders today
adopted a watchful waiting attitude
pending action on the Hill.
Briefly, the situation is so con-
fused at this stage that no one
can say with any degree of certainty
what the next step will be. A COM
plete blackout on pro sports for
the remainder of the war is possible,
but highly improbable. There is
better than an even chance that
all sports will continue, II on a
curtailed basis, once Congress has
passed a law clarifying the status
of 4-Fs.
Coming almost on the eve Of the
National Football Leagues meet
ing at Chicago tomorrow, the Presi-
dents message is certain to be the
chief topic Of conversation, but
there won't be much the league can
do about putting its house in order
until 1t knows how Congress intends
to 60 about funnelling 4-Fs into
war plants. At the moment there
isn't any visible reason why the
league can't function in 1945, al
though the schedule might have to
be drafted to limit travel to one-day
hops.
Pro Football Keeps Quiet.
Commissioner Elmer Layden, who
previously said the league would
operate next year If selective serv-
ice orders did not interfere, had
no comment" on the latest devel-
opments. One thing certain, neither
Layden, acting for the league, nor
individual club owners will try to
buck the Government. They'll 60
along quietly on whatever the law
makers deem best.
Kenneth L. CTug) Wilson, direc-
tor of athletics at Northwestern,
summed up the situation in the
Big Ten Conference when he said
he didn't think there were more
than IS 4-Fs in the entire confer
ence during the last football season.
The conference, however, would do
nothing to impede the war effort
and if dropping sports would speed
victory they undoubtedly would be
stopped, he said.
That analysis and attitude could
be applied to almost any other con-
ference or league or individual team
in the country.
Baseball, already In the midst of
preseason activities, apparently was
most shocked by the Presidents
message. Schedules for the 1945
season already have been drawn,
plans announced for the opening
game between New York and
Washington here at Grif1th Sta
dunn April Is and most club owners
were scouting around for spring
training quarters when the blow
fell.
Baseball Not Ready to Act.
Now plans will have to be held in
allegiance until the diamond chief
tains find out which way the wind
is blowing. Operating every day
with half the campaign devoted to
intersectional games requiring lots
of travel. baseball may be hardest
hit OF all pro sports.
The situation is such that some
sources believe a special meeting OF
diamond leaders will be necessary
to unravel the knotty problem and
work out solution that will per-
NIT the game to continue.
Meanwhile, scholastic and college
sports seem due for q boom. The
last two years have demonstrated
that the public wants sports and
will patronize sports events even
though the brand is not up to pre-
war quality. Colleges, with dis
charged veterans and youngsters
below draft age on their rosters,
last autumn demonstrated that
they can put on a good show. The
handful Of 4-Fs that might be
siphoned of by congressional ac-
tiOn would be negligible.