Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1880 — Degeneracy of Sport. [ARTICLE]

Degeneracy of Sport.

“Sport” is getting to be more ami more disreputable. There is too much inevitable crookedness. It is hardly necessary to refer to the tendency of prize fights to taper off into nzxlee and funks. There is perpetual quarreling upon race courses; and even the innocent matches at base ball and cricket give rise to multitndinons growling* about unfair play. All decent people will be glad that prize fighting has rushed to a swift degeneration; but it seems hard that competitions which might be innocent •and in some Indirect w>y useful, should lapse into mere money-making schemes. Moral people will say that it. all comes of the betting; and the question therefore obtrude* itself whether we cannot bare athletic contests without the curse of betting Apparently we cannot. Perhaps the ancients bet upon the result of the Olympic games, hut from what we knew of them they seem to hare been engaged in for the sake of honor. “Sport” op the turf, on the river, or in the ring, has degenerated into mere money-making. The rest follows os t matter of course. If a pedeatrain can gain cub by losing a match he will he likely to loee it If there bs pecuniary profit in selling a race, it will be sold. One feels that this ought to be different among amateurs, who are presumably gentlemen ; but still there is as much squabbling with tbw as with professionals. Unless there Ls a general reform, the teas is evident There will toon be no more “sport” having the slightest claim to respectability.