Show 0 G R CE A A NUMBER of service sport debaters de- de haters baters want to know if it is true that basketball draws in more spectators spectators spectators spec spec- than any other sport Also whether the estimated attendance of a year is correct My guess would be that the combined total of basketball spectators would be well beyond baseball football racing and boxing but boxIng but is quite a collection of human beings As a starter it might be mentioned mentioned mentioned men men- that there are many more basketball teams than there are baseball baseball base base- ray ball or football teams It happens to be a game that thatis is popular in every ar state in the nation nation- Far West Midwest 4 Southwest South r rand and East T Ned Irish h has a s y ly proved at Madison y Square Garden that he e can bank on an Grantland Rice attendance ranging from to at every per per- There are not so many basketball centers that can match this crowd accommodation but there are so many hundreds of places on the map that can range from to and and most of these places are usually packed For example Indiana is dotted with towns whose basketball teams draw more to a game than the entire entire en en- tire population of the town the game is played In At least that is what Indiana experts and other cam fol camp foI lowers Jowers tell us Basketball has never had the chance to compete with an Army- Army Notre Dame crowd a Michigan Michigan- I I Ohio State gathering a Southern I Notre California-Notre Dame test or an anI 1 I Navy Army-Navy show Many l of these I I games would draw over If 1 I I there was only enough space in inI I I which to park the human body lean body lean and fat fatI I I doubt that any basketball game no matter under what favorable conditions could lure in or people I If I am wrong Ned Irish can correct me But basketball ll isn't played in hi just justa a few of our bigger stands It Is played in high schools and in hi colleges col col- leges leges-in leges in YMCAs YMCA's and churches in hi boys' boys clubs and girls' girls clubs not clubs not in hi hundreds but In hi thousands of spots you never heard about It isn't a game scattered all over the map but packed all over the map I still dont don't believe the total attendance at at- attendance would ru run run 1 up to but maybe it does docs At least this is an argument that no one can settle give or take some spectators Faster but Gentler Basketball today Is a faster and afar a afar atar far tar more skillful game than it was when I happened to play on the Vanderbilt team of some decades back But it isn't as rough a game as it was then I am not referring to any to man-to-man contact In those days the gymnasiums were rather small and they were heated by a number of radiators or other warming warm warm- warming ing appliances around the floor One of the main ideas then was to bend or pin phi your opponent over one of these smoking hot devices until the flesh began to sizzle and there was an unpleasant odor of burning skin I still recall such games where I looked more morp like a I zebra than a human being where being where I there wasn't so much skin left upon the body and what was left happened happened happened hap hap- to be badly scorched Basketball has come a long way I since those pioneer uncovered wagon wag I on days when the player took quite a beating since there were no rules against anything except murder and andI possibly mayhem It Is all different I now There are arc thousands of or basketball basket basket- basketball ball centers that have all aU the lire required required required re re- room needed that have accommodations for spectators In those earlier days basketball was largely a game Intended for the swift The swift are ore needed today But I cant can't recall facing any opponent opponent opponent op op- over 6 feet 2 where today 6 feet teet 2 is bordering often on the midget midget midget mid mid- get side There were certainly no opponents opponents opponents op op- ranging from 6 feet 7 to 6 feet teet 9 These service debaters always want to know whether or not basketball basketball basketball basket basket- ball is the fastest game Basketball Basketball Basket Basket- ball is faster than football or baseball base base- ball much ball much faster faster but but not as fast as hockey where the players havethe have havethe havethe the advantage of Ice and skates A basketball game played on ice with skates would be the time all top for speed and all around agility After all skiing is the fastest sport Without Without Without With With- out ice or snow skates or skis the next fastest sport is the yard dash S 1 Baseball Immortals It is amazing in a n way the amount of general public interest future nominations for baseballs baseball's Hall of Fame have brought about The timers old-timers now CO GO years or ever ver have the feeling that their favorites favorites fa- fa are being overlooked by I generations These old old- I imers saw Fred Clarke manage the Pirates 40 to years ago and give a treat outfield exhibition at the same lime time They saw him as a leader and andt 1 t playing star Y i j j j t v L w 4 |