The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1907. PROFESSIONAL “SPORTS.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3766, 30 May 1907, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1907. PROFESSIONAL “SPORTS.”

J* Theke are professional sports of all kinds nowadays. The greed for gold is over all our amusements —even football. Rugby Unions and those kind of persons, object to an “All Black” professional team of footballers going to England, because it would establish a precedent. The small fact remains that Rugby Unions are extremely professional bodies, so much so that, although they “ rot ” any player who wants to make raonev at the game, they earn a very large amount of money from the playing of amateurs, and incidentally pay managers, secretaries, and treasurers, out of the money earned by amateurs. We ourselves very much regret that professionalism should enter into any manly sport from sprinting to Rugby and from billiards to cricket, but at the same time think that everybody connected intimately with any sport as player or otherwise should absolutely refuse recompense. Although the great football authorities, in short, believe it is degrading to footballers to undertake professional tours, the said great football authorities do not consider it degrading to accept money themselves. Every calling begun for the amusement or edification of the people is liable to fall into a groove of professionalism. It is, however, exceedingly difficult for any man to object to earning money, and even more difficult to dissuade a man from earning money at a business that does not directly produce anything.