Scandal in the Colleges

At that five Brooklyn College boy:
have admitted being paid by gamblers
to “throw” a basketball game, so that the
gamblers could make a killing, all the cover-
up artists of amateur sport may be expected
to explain that this is just an isolated case.

The fact is that collegiate athletics for
many years has been increasingly commer-
cialized if not professionalized, with heavy
emphasis on drawing enough gate receipts to
pay off the stadium and fieldhouse bonds.
When basketball was transformed into a big-
time sport, played in metropolitan centers to
draw large crowds—and incidentally enrich-
ing promoters—it was virtually certain that
some youngster would eventually be victim-
ized by the money-hungry fixers and profes.
sional sharps always hunting for a sure thing.

Dr. Forrest C. Allen of the University of
Kansas weeks ago warned that gambling and
fixing of basketball games was taking place,
but he was shouted down by loud public de-
nials. Maybe the presidents of colleges and
universities will now heed his counsel to set
up some system to protect the kids whose
competitive skill and stamina bring in the
golden gate receipts. A

wn 31, 45

‘THE CHICAGO SUN