“Amateur Complex” Said To Handicap British Sport

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 4 (Supplement)

“Amateur Complex” Said To Handicap British Sport

We may not have decided our political fate just .yet—but isn’t it time

,we made up our minds exactly where

,we are going in sport? For years we have been treating big international !events as if we were a jolly little

bunch of Saturday afternoon sports-

men (comments an English journalist).

Well, the game’s up. Either we get into step with the rest of the earth, which treats sport as a cut-

throat, highly-competitive business—'

or we get out. We can’t have it both 'ways.

In a recent- Swedish survey of [world athletics Britain lags seventh, (behind America, Russia, Sweden, 1 (France, Germany, and Finland, in [that order. | Yet five years ago Stalin’s totalitarian sports squads were unknown. ;The Germans .were our defeated ene- ■ mies. Now they are both zooming [ahead like a couple, of fire engines! up High Street. | “Herrenvolk Bragging” | j The Herrenvolk are even bragging, iwith typical arrogance, that British boxers —and athletes, for that matiter—are afraid to meet Germans in ’the ring. Hence the ban. It’s rubibish, of course, but we’re solely to blame. For we are still to the “amateur tradition.” We are so busy being “good little losers” that we cannot see we are (

(hamstrung by humbug and hogtied by hypocrisy. Indeed, the only snow- i white amateur pastimes in Britain today are hockey and the Boat Race. 1

British sport needs an atomic blast.' (1) We should make up the full l amount for any salary loss incurred ;by a British athlete while represent-1 ing his country. Professionalism be hanged. It’s common sense. Every other nation fields sponsor-1 ed track teams of some sort. The ( Yanks, in fact, with their phoney | university scholarships, are the worst' culprits of all. (2) The Amateur Athletic Associa-I

tion should publicly demand full Government aid for sport—forthwith? We can no longer compete with) other countries on equal terms. (3) Let’s stop fooling around at cricket. Australia’s the target. Why 'doesn’t the M.C.C. award a cash prize of £5OO (second prize £250) for the fast bowler with the best record of the season? Remember —a fast bowler’s cricket life is as short as his socks.

Lawn Tennis “Coma”

I (4) It’s about time the Lawn Tenmis Association came out of its coma. .The role of sport’s “Sleeping Beauties” doesn’t suit them. Meanwhile 'our world tennis rankings are pitiable.

| Instead of cold-shouldering Teddy iTinling for designing Gorgeous Gus'sie’s famous lace panties, our tennis rulers would do far better if they really got down to the job of train-, ing the best boys and girls between 11 and 15 along American thunderbolt lines.

| Nothing less will do. Stroke play on its own is useless. Within the 'rules, we must cultivate the ruthless, [super-killer complex. If necessary, [the L.T.A. should guarantee all expenses, meals, and equipment. It’s] [about time, anyway, they let some, 'of the moths out of that bulging ten-1 nis purse.