Zo
7.

Then the National AAU organization took the
tournament over and said that they wanted all the money
and the Kansas City people let it go, and it went to
Denver, Colorado, At the present time the basketball
tournament each year is paying all the office expense of
the AAU in New York City. This & between $5,000 and
$7,000 a year, I dislike to make this accusation, but I
have made it before, so when I say it te you you will
understand that I would not want to be quoted on it unless
I would make the statement direct, 3 !

The AAU, 1t seems to me, is interested only
now in promoting the things that they can make money out
of, And some of their officers have been known te give
athletes a silver service set, running up to above (100,
yet they will deny the right of a boy to take anythin
for expense money that might run over their stipulate
sum per day. In other words, the king can do no wrong.
They are a group of politicians, henchmen who do what
they want to, and when a poor youngster should make one
misstep they will disqualify him, and unless he is a |
profit-making athlete he is apt get the worst of it.

C
There are several cases in point concerning
what the AAU did to the athletes who competed at Berlin,
The Negro boy, Jesse Owens, who won more firsts than any
of the other inerieans, was @isqualified because he re- -
fused to take a trip to some of the adjacent countries in
Surope so the AAU could fatten their coffers at this boy's:
OXPeENsSe. bee | | 4 =

The AAU of the United States is in the throes
of a very unhealthy turmoil, Political, race and religious
prejudices are tearing it to pieces. “he only reason that
it survives at all is the fact that to be eligible for |
Olympic competition the competitors must be certified to
by the organization that represents the United States, and
that organization is the AAU, So long as these politicians
have that power they ¢an continue to do the things that
they have been doing, TR ae |

: But the National Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion, the organization of colleges of the United States,
which furnishes practically all the competition now for —
ow Olynpic competitors, is gaining ground by their
square dealing with the athletes ani by the fact that
their college coaches develop more than 90 per cent of
the competitors, The colleges have an ‘head naturail
that is sustained by the institutions, while the AAU mus
pay the expenses of their officers who do nothing but
arrange meets, and so forth, : )