Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1905. THE ETHICS OF SPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3506, 6 April 1905, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1905. THE ETHICS OF SPORT.

Recent issues of northern contemporaries contain pointed reference to the evil influences which now undermine and threaten distraction to many branches Of Sport. Whilst indulgence irt healthy sports .and pastimes is td he cdirimendod, it canndt be denied that of late years New .Zealanders have allowed themselves to be led into over-indulgence. The sporting instinct) strong in the Anglo-Saxon composition; has had such play ariidngst colonials that its finer qualities have become dulled, and too - ften all that is lef L a desir- to subvert recreative sport to baser uses. The Auckland 11 Stiii’ ’’ mentions the fact that a certain association football club, which was disqualified 11st year by the local governing body till the end of the 1905 season, has had its disqualification removed, on the ground that the senior association matches Ulay fall through if this club is shut out. Our contemporary does not imply a charge of deliberate corruption or dishonesty, but regrets the lack of discipline and authority. One naturally leads to the other, and it is exceedingly regrettable that the want of discipline in the past has in some branches of athletics led to c -rrnption and dishonesty. The “ Star ” cites, as an instance of want of discipline, the case Dt a famous cyclist in Australia, whose disqualification was removed, not because his punishment was too severe, not because his subsequent conduct was ettCnlplaiy, but because it Vvils thought that the success of sports meetings depended more or less upon his presence. A similar case in this colony is also recorded. The “ Opunake Times,” commenting upon the poor support accorded by the public to recent gatherings, observes that “ the principal cause is that people are sick and tired of seeing so much cronk running with the pros, and books.” The Taranaki “ Herald ” records another instance of the unsatisfactory slate of things in the athletic world. This occurred at Bell Block, where certain runners declined to compete, because bookmakers were not permitted on the field. It was not for the honour of winning that they would run, nor for the stakes, but for what they could make by betting. And if they could do better by losing than by winning they would run a losing race without the slightest compunciion. Thus are the public, who find the money for sports gatherings, defrauded. Again, at Stratford, certain “ star ” athletes would not start without “ appearance money,” and when that was refused they declined to pay their nomination fees. Happily the Athletic League was able to block these men elsewhere. Sufficient has been said to show that with some athletes money-making is the sole object, and that to gain that end the public are made use of in a way which they are now beginning to resent by withdrawing their support from athletic meetings. With the approach of several meetings the time is opportune for the various managements to keep in mind the fact that public patronage should be better worth cultivation than a few crack tradesmen, and we trust that some of the objectionable features that have been apparent in other parts of the colony may be reported absent from meetings in the Manawatu. In the domain of the “ sport of kings ” also these malign influences are not absent, but are perhaps subjected to a keener scrutiny by the public.