OCR Text |
Show Al..?CEji .1 FEW would ever have thought, a i few years ago, that the time would ' come when pro golfers would head the pack at the pay-check window. But this strange event has taken place. Byron Nelson finished 1945 beyond the $60,000 mark while Ho-gan, Ho-gan, McSpaden and Snead were somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000 and $30,000. I doubt there was any $25,000 ball player last season. Hank Greenberg came back at his f 'mmm old salary around I " . I $55,000, but Hank I . . y only played half the I ' campaign. DiMag- " ' gio, another high- - '" priced star, didn't k " J eet in at all. Such ' ' stars as Marty Ma- .i rion anl e Cooper Brothers were In - ' the $13,000 class. I AmtTiAMriWi don't know how Byron Nelson much Hal Newhous-er Newhous-er and Dizzy Trout pulled in, but I doubt that it was over $25,000, if that much. But there was no ball player who made anything like the amount Byron By-ron Nelson made from competition, and this doesn't include his income from other sources. Few professional football players draw as much as $5,000 a season. Before the new league barged in anything from $250 to $300 a game was good pay for all except such outstanding stars as Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman and Don Hutson. Players Will Profit It will, of course, be different with the new All-America Conference league shopping in the market. The arrival of the new league wil be tough on the bank accounts oi club owners in both circuits, but 11 will be a big financial harvest tc the football players for a while, anyway. , For example, I know of two oi three stars now under contract t the new league who In addition tc healthy bonuses are to get $10,000 a year. And Paul Brown, the ex-Ohi( State coach now with Cleveland, has a long-time contract at $25,000 t year. But Paul Is a coach, not s competitor. There will be no pr football player making one-fourth ol f what Byron Nelson gets. In the two major baseball league; the average pay is from $7,000 t( $8,000. So far as the stars go then will be a big Jump next spring wher Greenberg, DiMaggio, Gordon, Dick ey, Wakefield and a few others wil get from $20,000 to $55,000. Bi; league payrolls will be far differen In 1946 than they were in 1945 when all attendance records were brokei with rather cheap casts. The Big Fight There will be one major exceptioi as far as pay checks go. This take; in Joe Louis and Billy Conn. Loui: knocks over 37 per cent of some thing better than a million dolla: gate, Including all the side lines. Thi Louis share will pass the $500,001 mark but when the keen, eager am alert tax collectors get after him this amount will drop to less thai $50,000. Conn is supposed to get 12 pe: cent of this all-time record gate, bu he will do better than all right. Com will at least move up into the $200, 000 bracket. If the returns from mo tion pictures and television reach th figure many think they will, thes amounts will be heavily increased But what good will that do whei one collides with an 80 or possibl; 90 per cent tax assessment? Loui Is supposed to owe the governmen $117,000 for back taxes, not includ lng a substantial amount he als owes Mike Jacobs. Joe will be luck; If he ever gets even again. Con: also owes quite a chunk, and wil also be struggling to get even ani square with the world. So don't waste too much envy o: Louis and Conn. Some Jockeys Get Rich When it comes down to the bi money-makers we still have to fl ure in Jockeys such as Eddie Ai caro and Ted Atkinson, to mentio only a pair. Both must have passe the $75,000 mark this year. Ther are others who are beyond the $40 000 mark with their 10 per cent fror big stakes. And what about Arnol Kirkland, the contract rider for th Maine Chance stable with more tha $550,000 piled up in purses? They'll tell you the baseball plaj er lasts longest in professional spoi but when I think of Ken Strong, Aj nold Herber and Mel Hein with thei total of 57 years In football or Sarr my Baugh and Don Hutson and otf ers who have been doing we ; enough after 10 or 12 years, I begi to wonder. Sarazen Lasted 20 Years Pop Anson, Honus Wagner, T Cobb, Larry Lajoie and a few ok time stars lasted from 20 to 2 years. But these are the exception! Gene Sarazen has carried on as winning golfer for over 20 year! Gene is also an exception. Ther have been few to match Hneen an Sarazen. Maybe Byron Nelson an one or two others will. But in th meanwhile. Nelson, taking dow 1 from $50,000 to $60,000 a yea: i doesn't need all that extra tim. |