Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-20
.ATCHISON'S
A N LIE
Drive the RoscoIs Out
BY LEWIS r. ATcHIsoh

WE CAN STOP WORRYING about Commes and the
dangers of atomic faout in this country The real threat
hearings of the Antitrust Subcommittee of the
House Judiciary Committee clearly demonstrate
nig connivng club in pro sports Those rascals
have had the gall to make money while the rest Of
patriots work for living How un-American one be?
1t all started several months ago when the Supreme
Court ruled that pro football is subject to antitrust laws
after previously declaring that baseball not The ruling
was made despite the fact that baseball plays approximately
1000 more league games than football collects
radio and teevsion fees all summer and invites paid adj
vertisiAg signs in its parks while football which rents the
baseball park for most of its games plays IA games and
gets much less out of radio and TV This udcou BRAIN
twister half dozen bills the hopper and
brought on the hearings
FROM WHAT HAPPENED yesterday it looks like long,
hot the home front Baseball supposed to
have the stage and it had its first team present-Comm
soner Ford Frick Will Harrdge and Warren Giles, pres
dents of the American and National Leagues respectively
and George Trautman, head of the minors.
But the team benched while Representative John
Byrnes Republican of Wisconsin presented prepared plea
Ito professional football from extinction Byrnes not
member Of the subcommittee and doesn't belong to
one OF its farm clubs He the Green Bay area and
everybody WELL almost everybody knows that Green Bay
is code word meaning pro football The 100 citizens who
own the Green Bay Packers he said didn't anything
wrong with draft system that might give them winner
He said the citizens had gone far get bond
issue passed to build 81 million stadium for the team
BEFORE 1T WAS OVER rather odd questions had
been asked and astu observations made Maetz
counsel for the subcommittee at point asked Byrnes
If the antitrust law would affect footballs playing rules
Chairman Celler Democrat of New York. observed that
player XYZ sold by team to team for $25O00 gets
no part of the money" He obviously didn't think this
arrangement quite fair although neglectng to observe
that XYZ didn't help the take salary cut
when the club went into the red
Byrnes emphasized that the football draft kept
petition KEEN and that the for the pennant
the scramble for the seamer the chase for the flag that
drew the fans.
Representative Heating Republican of New York whose
wit envened rather dull session. noted that the anti
trust law passed to foster competition He said outlaw
ing the draft would stihe it.
The idea of throwing all the players into open
market for bidding by the clubs caused Representative
William Miller Republican Of New York. to remark that
1t could give the weather. football teams decided edge
IF you have competition in the first place tthe draft !"
Miller said you'll have competition later lin league play
and therell be nothing left for the players"
TRICKS 27-PAGE PREPARED STATEMENT frankly
sounded like baseball that the Supreme Courts
ruling against pro football means that the socaed national
will have its protective umbrella and will be
put out in the rain with the pig SINNERS
Baseball, Of course isn't entirely bameess despite the
See ATCHISONs ANGLE Page c.