SEES SESS ee ee ace RRR aN cee rR ELST Ds. ns F a

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WILLARD N. GREIM, Director of Ath-

Schools. is a graduate of Springfield
College. where he was an all-around
athlete. He is Chairman of the Men’s
Basketball Committee of the Ama-
teur Athletic Union of the United
States. and Manager of the National
A. A. U. Basketball Championships
in Denver since 1935. He is a Colonel
in the Reserve Army.

THE A.A.U. AND BASKETBALL

THLETIC SPORTS in the United States were

not always as well organized and conducted
as they are today. This statement applies equally
to interscholastic and intercollegiate sports, as well
as to sports outside of schools and colleges. Years
ago the country was infested with teams of athletes,
as well as individuals, touring the country under
their rightful or assumed names, making their living
on side bets or duping the public. The Amateur
Athletic Union was organized in 1888 in the hope
that this condition could be altered, and, also, that
certain sports which were essentially amateur in
character could be properly promoted.

Schools and colleges have continued their organi-
zation and promotion of sports for their student
bodies but their activities are limited to school
groups. The A.A.U. has attempted to further sports
activities especially for men and women not in-
volved in the school and college programs and has
also included the school and college athletes in its
program. Because of their present and future in-
terest in the athletes who have been developed in
their programs, colleges have affiliated with the
A.A.U. hoping to formulate the best conditions of
participation for these athletes. The influence of the
A.A.U. has done much to eliminate the professional
athlete from amateur ranks and to raise the stand-
ards of amateur competition.

Basketball was one of the sports over which the
A.A.U. assumed jurisdiction a number of years ago.
At that time, basketball was thought of as a recrea-
tional activity rather than a highly competitive
game. From its inception in 1891, basketball de-
veloped into a game popular with independent

~ teams affliated with the Y.M.C.A., athletic clubs,

and such organizations throughout the eastern part
of the United States. Its growth throughout the mid-

western and western part of the U. S. was largely
through schools and colleges. The A.A.U. empha-
sized its play among its member organizations and
attempted to hold championships in the various
associations, and here the major emphasis rested
until 1920.

At the annual meeting of the A.A.U. in 1919,
the men’s basketball championships on a national
basis were scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 1920 tournament attracted teams from various
parts of the United States, and was the first of the
A.A.U. basketball championships awarded to the
Missouri Valley Association. It was held at Kansas
City, Missouri. The tournament was continued there
for fourteen years, and it expanded to include as
many as sixty teams with wide representation
throughout the United States. Since 1935 the champ-
ionships have been held in Denver, Colorado, under
the auspices of the Rocky Mountain Association of

‘the A.A.U. and with continued success from the

standpoint of both representation and finances.

Each year since 1920 there has been college rep-
resentation in the tournament, but the recent plan
of the N.C.A.A. to hold a national championship
has involved many of their best teams.

Basketball was recognized significantly when it
was made a part of the 1936 Olympic Games Pro-
gram. This was done largely through the efforts
of the A.A.U. and the N.C.A.A. working through
the American Olympic Committee.

Today, basketball is a game of the masses. It
can be played by boys, girls, men, and women.
The expert and the novice can enjoy participating
in it. The future will likely see an expansion in the
numbers playing the game. following the direction
indicated earlier by its originator, Dr. James
Naismith.

Official Wateh for Timing N.C.A.A. and A.A.U. Championships Is LONGINES —
The Sports-World’s Most Honored Watch

 

letic Education in the Denver Public.