Show ( r g ‘ 4 I I 03A ' might 7present the United States at the traditionally amateur Olympic Games? If so you have lots of company Most Americans have un- critically swallowed the myth of the amateur sportsman and allowed a tiny group of but totally unrealistic athletic officials to con us into sport with one entering the world of international ' arm tied behind our backs In Russia and other Communist countries there are no professional athletes But there are no amateurs either Russian athletes have "jobs" — they may be carried on the rolls of some factory or— collective farm — but they rarely irever show up for work A few years ago Pravda the Russian newspaper complained about a top soccer team called "The Road to Communism" that was living on a farm Each player was listed as a "worker" but he was paid $225 a month (average farm wage $65) plus a special food allowance and vacation privileges "All of them together haven't done a day's work" money ' k t 0 i tri 7 CI 1 1 0 i 4 L7 ) I t- 1 I - 7-- ri 11 11 1 1 k1 a '''' Q li I- ( I rr 117 1 ) i 1 s E ' ea 4- ' ---' -- " -- t 7 ) ' I 1 i i I t ' 1 id t (11( r-- T k'ti - ''- - il LI -- i ' k' :j they groused Pravda Russia saw - o-I --- "- - i L: ' i it 1- ' 4 ' ' 114 A '') t 3 - ''''''' 1 - --- - I 4 r ' i i f lo 1 j ! - '7 t Zip - I 41111 v ' i i it i 1 1 o terI 14 0Po- - itsiL 4- t -- ' 41 - - IlL4 3:7A shouldn't our own professional athletes compete for us? 4 J ''' first-pla- It ' :" ''?' ' '''' - ll ti : - 1 t A i - 41'' FLEMMG 1 --- - - ld ce Though tennis is not an Olymsport the same amateur get "paid" in plc principles have long been aptennis plied to it in international com- - - petiiion But David L Freed former captain of the US Davis Cup team said: "Only the US makes a pretense of amateurism The Italian Nicola Pietrangeli blandly admitted to the Australian press that he would not play 'amateur' tennis for less than $400 a week in Europe" Instead of the picayune expense allowances our officials permit Aussie stars make their own "financial arrangements" when they tour Result: One of our few recent Davis Cup victories came when "our" star was Alex Olmedo — really a Peruvian and on the US team only because he attended an American college Last year we g were eliminated by tiny Ecuador which has a population of less than 500 The Russian athlete who wins a gold medal in the Olympics is set for life Norbert Schemansky is the only American to win medals in four different — Olympics — one gold one silver and two bronze - - non-playi- ng I an you imagine an American Olympic basketball squad that includes — all together Wilt :—T1 Chamberlain Bill Russell Bill Bradley Oscar Robertson Rick Barry Elgin Baylor Jerry West Jerry Lucas Lou Hudson? Or a boxing team that includes Floyd Patterson Jerry Quarry Emile Griffith Jose Torres Carlos Ortiz — even Cassius Clay? Are you outraged at the mere suggestion that these champion athletes all of whom perform for - ' in Amateurs I Other countries enter "shamateurs"— BY THOMAS : NI 4' le-( why - 1' '' C ‘- - 4! ' '' I ' - - 12S:- - 1 ( ' 41"- t k 1 (4 track-and-fie- gill ''l ' ' Entering summer Olympic competition fought back hard but still lost 173 medals to 151 The preachers of amateurism console themselves events by pointing to the major where the Americans held their own in 1964 garnermedals But they conveniently ing 36 ignore our miserable showing in the winter Olympics In 1964 the Russians finished first with 47 medals including 30 gold ones The US was 8th with exactly six medals one gold °' f Le el ' '' i 11tV OW 0 - ( q(:: do ' k "4' ( I ?' tl l s I ( s : olt7 i ' ) i7 f ' 11 -- 1952 the Russians knocked us from the No i position in 1956 winning 98 medals to our 71 In 1960 the Russians won 103 medals to our 74 In 1964 we k 0 ed00 speed ' 14' ff at a glance what it has taken America never were in- be the to tended political Olympics have become skirmish in the cold-wa- r victory the Communists won could be converted into a triumph of their way of life over our way of life The Russians may also have rationalized their policy with another more ironic fact The champions who participated in the original Olympic games were not amateurs servants of Athens Sparta and either but well-pa- id other Greek city states The policy has paid off with almost astonishing go E 41 i 1 '" 0 I (717 91i ) 1 rf 1 --"- i (1 i I I ) rl 1 T1 - ' '— - f 4i — I i i I I Z 111 3 k 3 c L---- -:- L- -- 0 'R'''''r n 7 ('"bi '''''''k i i C m) ' i 1 ' "1 ) tennis-playin- - |