Show Speaking of 0 Sports Basketball Hits Top Ranking in D By ROBERT McSHANE FORTY FORTY-BEVEN Ij SEVEN ORTY-SEVEN years ean ago alO a c cl MI- l- l lere lege etc bo boy Invented a lame game to fill ml fillup up the tile existing slack clack between football football foot fool ball and baseball seasons Ills Ilia name James name James A. A Naismith The tame lame game basketball Back Dack In 1892 1891 young NaismIth merely wanted a game that would supply proper exercise to athletes In the winter without the drudgery of ordinary gymnasium routine lie He borrowed some lome rules from rugby lacrosse and hockey A loosely knit game to begin with It was often otten played with as al many as 40 players on a side aide At first fint the Inventor experimented with a circle on the floor Door for lor his basket but the goal oal tender teader parked himself In the circle and scores were Impossible lie then thea tried a hocke hockey net but too many points were tallied Finally the balcon balcony caught his bis eye and aad he ho decided to place the basket out of reach of the combatants Most Popular Sport The Springfield college undergraduate undergraduate undergraduate under under- graduate then asked the Janitor for two boxes boxel to the balcony Unable to find them the janitor returned returned returned re re- re- re turned with two peach baskets baskell Dec because Be- Be c cause use ause of 01 that Insignificant trifle we have basketball instead of seven Forty years later this college college col col- lege lere bo boys boy's brainchild Is U played by JO 60 nations and some lome ath ath- letes More persons either watch or pia play It than an any other form of 01 athletic activity on oa the globe Some statistician once figured that In a year either shoot baskets or gaze gaie on others other who do Has Phenomenal Growth The TIle sport ti has bad had a phenomenal growth In the past and Its future possibilities stagger the Ibe tion llon Basketball Is almost a religion In the Midwest particularly In la Indiana Indiana Indiana In In- diana where one tournament drew drewan an entry list of 01 teams composed composed com com- posed of players and reserves One Indiana town towa with a population population tion of 01 has bas a basketball arena seating New York's Yorks Madison Square Garden Garden Gar Gar- den has done much to send lend basketball basketball basket basket- ball baU rocketing to hitherto untouched heights height The Garden has become a acourt acourt acourt court Rose Hose Bowl Dowl for teams from all aU parts of the Ule United States I All Negro Bout WilEN Heavyweight Champion V Joe Louis enters enten the ring January Jan uary uarl 27 to meet confident John Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry rl Lewis it will be the first time the ho Bomber has met another Negro since April 2 25 23 1933 1035 when he knocked mocked out Roscoe Toles of Flint Mich In six rounds There are numerous reasons wh why his ring fine opponents have not been of his bis own race Big league leacue fight I e Ia a Champion Joe Louis promoters have hive always been wary nary of 01 all Negro bouts bouta and hue have always always al al- al ways had bad a curious prejudice against them Chief among amoor the reasons reasons rea rea- sons Is II that a s large lure percentage of or Tight fight fans rans Ita stayed red awa away out of 01 sheer Indifference to the outcome Anything Anything Any Any- thing that lessens the gate gale ate receipts receipt Is naturally arsenic to promoters There are other reasons why it Is unusual to see lee top Negro fighters throwing leather at each other in the nali nations nation's ns n's big arenas Tar Far ar too many mediocre white boys have hate advanced a long lonc ways way through reputations built up b by fixed ed fights Negro fighters facing Inferior n mu-n- or white while fighters have bate been forced to go Into the tank lank In order to earn the most meager living ll exploited a as reputation fodder lodder they were lore forced cd to p play ball with all types of promoters and racketeers racketeer the abandon with which which two Negroes fought led those promoters pro- pro maters to believe that the they had lost their hold on the managerial strings stretching to the fighter Louis Louis' has bas cleaned up the white while whitefield whitefield field and Lewis Is Is now his Ills outstanding outstanding out out- standing opponent It Its It's a break for forJohn forJohn John Henry because his hU style Is kr best but calculated to bother Louis much In the same came manner as al did die Bob nob Pastors Lewis too ran can use the mone money The light heavy light weigh championship was as not as al lucrative us liS It might have bave been And John Henry Is aggressively confident That is it a tremendous asset asset as as- set let In his bis fa favor vor F Football Danger DangerE E protective equipment l charged with being responsible far tar quarter one-quarter of all aU Injuries caused by bodily contact will go eo on trial the latter part of December with the National Football Coaches association asso asso- elation serving as both judge and Jury While man many coaches believe that the use Die of hard bard and unyielding equipment consUl constitutes utes the greatest danger daurer In football It Is not likely that changes chanles In that equipment will wW willbe willbe be drastic It 1 Is argued and rightly so 10 that the fer very cause of man many gridiron accidents Is L also a protective tive Uve factor which keeps man many a player from serious Injury A committee named b by the National Football Coaches Coaches' association has studied the t x equipment used by 25 major colleges r throughout the UnIted United United Unit UnIt- ed States State and In la the near future will report report re re- port the findings of or their survey W. W A A. A Alexander of Georgia Geor gin gia a Tech committee Elmer Layden chairman will wUl undoubtedly un un- undoubtedly call for several leveral changes Particular fault is found with the type of shoe cleat which screws on onto onto onto to a metal post extending from the shoe sole lole When this cleat Is la broken oil oft and the post exposed It can easily become the cause of deep cuts or painful abrasions When Wilen less lell dangerous protective equipment Is II found equipment that will afford alford safet safety to the Ute same lame degree degree de do- gree as aa don does present equipment then both coaches and players player will welcome It U. Elmer Layden of Notre Dame has bas devised what is 11 probably the best football helmet from a viewpoint of safety let The Layden head guard has hasa a soft lOft leather top cushioned with foam rubber on a sturdy fiber case It will be used In many colleges during the coming year I I Fuel for the Debate I STATISTICS regarding shutout games in the two major leagues last season lenson merely furnish additional addi adds ammunition to baseball fans lans who argue the relative strength of the two circuits There were shutout games carnes Inthe In Inthe Inthe the two leagues 83 In the National and 47 In la the American That still doesn't prove anything to league learue en en- National league supporters supporter support support- er ers have the shutout records record to back up claims that their league excels In first rate pitching American Amer ican lean league fans laus argue that there are more powerhouse sluggers slugger In la lathat that league leacue and have the same 0 figure figure fig fig- ure to fo support their contention Meanwhile the llie argument continues con with both sides using the same ita statistics tics to prove their case Sport Shorts LORED f fighters hold five of the J eight worlds world's I boxing titles Long Island university's basketball team has scored more than a poInt a minute each game during the he last five seasons Golfers at the Rosanne Rosanne club in Melbourne Australia are requested not only onil to replace divots but also to sow seed Reggie McNamara veteran cyclist cyclist cy cy- cy clist who retired two years ago competed in six day bicycle races aces winning 20 Ice hockey hockel has las been making rapid progress in Scotland with three new major rinks recently opened World championships in lawn bowling willbe will willbe willbe be decided In San Francisco during the 1939 1039 exposition C Western Newspaper Union |