Show AMATE iu I 1 11 NO vol the present tendency discussed by caspar WW hitney IN A VERT CRITICAL I 1 CON CONDITION 4 air whitney attributes the trouble to the tendency of clubs and college colleges to partially nire abito display ath 1 distio prowess Irow ce tho T r 11 i gentleman agy giam who ho looks after amateur at athletics fetics for or Ilar harpers perl weekly is cass caspar W whitney mi mr 1 whitney whitney Is 1 an au an E in his special line I 1 in quiren of him a 11 I 1 1 few days ago as to 11 I 1 1 the present tend I 1 I 1 ency of amateur sport 1 1 I am of opi opinion n ia n lie said th at the condition of amateur sport justa t p pree res ent is very critical the desire on the part of clubs to scenic points in in the games and the anxiety on the part of colleges to over come their rivals have induced the managers of both athletic clubs and college clubs t to c do things that aro are very unbecoming and subversive of the best beat interests of arnat amateur eur sport the college men leep keep a sharp lookout on the preparatory schools and frequently when a promising youngster is seen in fit du cements are offered for him to go to this college or that as to be I 1 a it member mem her of the baseball nine or football eleven and so on and so also the big city clubs club keep an eye on the collegians and on promising young stirs in the country with the tile idea of inducing such as these to join their clubs and help them win points now as soon as a man accepts any tiny inducement that is any material reward he ceases to be an till ama tell r or shou should id cease any one with eyes in bis his head and a chance to look at the men forming the teams of the great clubs will see fee that the majority of them are tire not amateurs take a young fellow without eriv private a to means who travels all around devolin devoting g b his I 1 s whole time to athletics bic and who has good clothes on his 11 back and money in his pocket what hat is in one to do but conclude that lie is living by sport which ie Is ina his profession this is not nearly the case to such a areat great extent with the colleges but that it is practiced there somewhat makes the condition of amateur athletics all the more critical what remedy would you apply I 1 asked that 1 is 14 4 r rather t ther difficult to say mr whitney replied but some remedy must be applied at once else amateur athletes athle tee will find that the public takes precious little interest in them take college football for instance c it cant be that the great crowds th that at go to see tb these ese con contests tests I 1 in n new york every e ery thanksgiving day go really be cause the people in these crowds are intensely interested in the sport as sport that is not the reason tor for these crowds crowd are compo composed ted of the best and most fashion able people of the metropolitan district and nd for several years past it has been the swell tiling thing to go to there these matches this great interest is because the spectators believe that they are seeing loung young fellows of their own kind struggle for supremacy let them know or suspect that several of tace players are hired directly or indi estly erectly and the interest intern st will fall of off SO 50 per cent at once tb football contests baa have e drawn big money and amusement purveyors have been anxious to control them and have done so to at certain extent last year and the year before seats seated were ere sold at auction and brought prices as high as opera tickets ticket tins this was all till wrong and so far as college football ii 1 concerned it will be stopped stopp d the university athletic club has been formed formal in new york and this club will hereafter manage these games and also esert exert its influence to prevent pre ent any forms of professionalism from entering into college sport it if college sport can be kept pure it will naturally have an influence on the sport port as conducted by the clubs A few years ago in the games of the clu clubs bs there were ten college men competing to where there is one now if the cabs make up their teams entirely of professionals then the best elements now taking an interest in ili athletics will lose that intel est and withdraw their support the tend eticy has unquestionably been toward pro an i a 11 11 1 0 CK a t I 1 t I 1 I 1 k A 1 W ve T 1 1 I i I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 7 1 1 I 1 F I 1 1 ar W IV ill TN T N ET and the strict suppression of this is tho the aly way waz by which amateur athletic sport can pass its present crims cri is it if the collegian collegians under the advice of the graduates who w ho to a great extent support college athletics will be above abo e reproach in tills this mailer matter then it is to be hoped that the athletic clubs will torn form into line 11 how now about boxing matched at the amateur clubs ci tiba I 1 hebing boxing hexing is in very rood good sport and harmless harm lesa up to it certain point but slugging matches matelle 3 are not things in in which amateurs or gentlemen should engage at the clubs in new york there used to bo be very ery pretty exhibitions hibit ions given these mere were found to draw fo veil ell that the c clubs fulls them mado made money then they began to hire men mentho men who were supposed based to bo amateurs and the exhibit exhibitions i it soon be becaas C ams brutal slugging matches then even well known ional lighters were introduced I 1 bee we no difference diffin me between een such exhibitions and 1 real prize fights at new orleans such should bo be left to the tile probes si tiu nals rials and the tile 1111 amateur lateur should take no pirt part in them whatever the future of amateur athletics in america in my opinion depends entirely upon the excle eion sion front an ate nr ranks of nil all those who etke tiny any nain gain from front the ports sports lu ili bilich they take tak e p par za jio gil M LI ale rp |