Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 70, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1913 — MONEY MADE BY OWNERS OUT OF BASEBALL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MONEY MADE BY OWNERS OUT OF BASEBALL

Have the major league magnates seen the handwriting on the wall? Are they beginning to realise that all is not gold that glitters and that to make and hold money in the baseball business they must have a little more care to the expense end of the game? For a number of years the owners of major league franchises have been deluding themselves and the public Into thinking that baseball is a gold mine in which fortunes are quickly and easily made. As a consequence, the salaries of baseball players went skv-high, elaborate forces maintained, ana half-million dollar ball parks erected, all this on the presumption that baseball had only reached the halfway stage and that big fortunes were right at hand, ready to be grasped. Now two American league piagnates have eounded the warning, and others in both leagues, though not publicly

admitting that they have similar sentiments, have expressed themselves as feeling the same, in private. Connie Mack, the astute manages and halfowner of the Philadelphia Athletics, says that instead of his club, which was twice in succession a world’s champion combination, being a moneymaker, it has not paid a dividend in five yearm Frank Navin, the president of the Detroit club, says that the crest of Popularity in baseball Has been passed and that it will get no greater as a money-making proposition. Navin says that the only salvation of the majorleague club owner is to curtail Ms expenses, wherever possible, instead of spending money like water, cut down as much as possible on the number of players carried, and in all ways conduct the club as an ordinary business proposition. -i It costs at an average SI,OOO a day

to run a ball club. The season lasts 154 days, which means that the bare mining expenses of a major league club are 1154,000 for a season. Some run greater, owing to larger salaries. Then the ball park investment must be taken into consideration. Taken all in all a club must have an average of more than 3,000 attendance daily to hope to come out on the right side of the ledger undeF present conditions. Where are the tremendous fortunes made by magnates out of baseball? Line up the amount of money lost in the sport in the last ten years and balance it witjj the amount actually cleared, and it is likely that the scale would turn in favor of the losses. The magnates have permitted the impression that they are all rolling in wealth, whereas only about six clubs have been good investments out of the 16 major league franchises in the last ten years. The New York Giants have always made money since Brush and McGraw teamed up, but mainly through force of circumstances. They have the best city in the country and have been uniformly successful. McGraw has won four pennants ?a that time and has been in the thick Of the fight every other year. Both Chicago blubs have been money-makers, though not so great as many believe. This has been due to to the same thing that made the Giants a success. The Cubs have been four-time pennant winners and three times winners of world’s championships. The White Sox have been pennant winners and always in the fight, though the receipts have shown a falling off in the last four years. Then, too, both Chicago clubs have had the advantage of Sunday baseball, which has given them their greatest crowds No other city in the country has had such a combination tending to make money for it. ~

Pittsburg, though not as large ae. New York, Chicago or Philadelphia, hjs been a uniform money-maker, though it has made its money because it has won a number of pendants and has been in the first three, nine out of ten years. Then it has always enjoyqd one of the most sane and satisfactory business managements undei President Dreyfuss that any club i» baseball has experienced. The Philadelphia Athletics have been big figures in the American league for ten years and have won four pennants and two world’s cham pionships. While occupying their old field on Columbia avenue they made plenty of money, but since they have occupied their handsome new quarters for four years, though they have drawn tremendously, they have not paid a dividend. Connie Mack admits this. The burden is too great to prevent much of a margin. The only other American league team to prove a winner in recent years is the Boston world's champions, and James Me Aleer, the new owner, has profited handsomely thereby.

Connie Mack, Manager and Part Owner of Athletics.