RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 43

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

[All Rights Reserved.j

By Arthur Budd.

III.—PROFESSIONALISM AND THE RUGBY UNION.

'Although the secession of northern clubs, which desired to legitimise payment for broken time, has diminished the bitterness of the battle which had been waged between ',he R-ugby Union and a section of the north for onany years, yefc the continued defection each season of other ones to the Northern Union on the one hand, and the applications of many contrite seceders, who have found the picture to be not exactly what their fancy painted, foj reinstatement to "the amateur ranks, slill render the question of professionalism one of interest and importance. The determined *nd unflinching attitude of th« Rugby Union *ith regard to professionalism in a struggle Which lasted over a great number of years is veil known, and as I was a committeeman in Jhe thick of the fray during the whole of it, £.J>«xa been requested to aiva a brief history

of the controversy, and to state the reasons of tho Rugby Union for taking up an uncompromising position on this momentous question. To begin with the history of professionalism, it must at once be candidly stated that the troubles of the union commenced with the advent of the working man. In saying this I have no wish whatever to disparage the participation in the game by the working classes. Ou the contrary, I am strongly of opinion that it would be a great misfortune if they were unable to do so, but none the less the fact remains that till they came upon the scene such a thing as a professional inquiry was never heard of, and that as they increased in number so did these judicial investigations.

As time went on. there sprang up a widespread discontent in Ihe north of England, and complaints were made that working men could not afford to forfeit their wages to follow the game, and were consequently debarred from playing. In order to meet this difficulty a certain section devised a sort of half-way house in the shape of payment for broken time in the hope of bridging over tho difficulty. A resolution was according formulated to carry this into effect, and was brought before the historic general meeting at Cannon street Hotel — the largest in the annals of the Rugby game — and rejected by an overwhelming majority, who regarded such a payment as tantamount to professionalism. And so matters went on, going from worse to worse, till about three years ago a similar resolution was again brought forward and again rejected. This was followed by the secession of the broken timers, and the formation of the Northern Union, who have since declared for open professionalism. The reason for the strong stand made by the opponents to payment for broken time was their rooted antipathy to professionalism, and this antipathy was based on the tenets which I put forward more than 10 years ago. but which I hero recapitulate. I will, by way of preface, call attention to the fact that a professional in any branch is an artificial creation, and that sport was originally inaugurated as a means of providing pleasurable recreation and physical culture. Emulation, I take it, was the father of professionalism. Rivalry, no doubt, produced a- very hisr,h decree of excellence to the attainment 6f which the majority found that they had not sufficient time to devote. Hence it became necessary that they should Teceive some emolument, while, no doubt, the practice of matching men for a stake contributed greatly to the same cause.

I'KOEESSIONALISiI AND THE AiIATRUR.

The first great objection to professionalism i.-> that it leads to the extinction of the amateur. It is an indisputable axiom that a man •who devotes his whole time to any branch of athletics is bound to outstrip his fellow who only gives his leisure to its pursuit. This has been proved ad demonstrandum times out of number. What earthly chance would any amateur havo with John Roberts at billiards, and no better illustration could be given than the wonderful improvement made by A. R. Downer and E. O. Brcdin since they joined the' professional ranks. Those who dispute this tenet cite the case of cricket, and advance as an argument tho fact that tho Gentlemen can hold their own with the professionals. But surely they forget that our prominent cricketers, such as W. G. Grace, A. R. Stoddart, and others, play quite as much cricket as our professionals, and that scarcely a day goes by without their being engaged in a match of some sort or other. But even hero you find corroboration of the axiom, inasmuch as in the department of bowling to which the Gentlemen do not paj-- as much attention as the professionals, they are a long way behind. Assuming, then, the accuracy of the hypothesis started with, on the theory of the survival of the fittest it follows that the professional is bound in time to extinguish the amateur. We have a, most vivid illustration of this in the Association game. In the north of England, where there are an enormous number of professional clubs, the- amateur clubs have shrunk to almost nothing, and those which do exist have no pretensions to first-class form. Such clubs as the Old Car-thus-i'ins and Old Etonians used to fi^ht out the iinal Cup lie, but last year not a' single amateur team got into the ponultimate round. In the south of England, at any rate, hundreds and hundreds engage in the Rugby game every Saturday, and it would be then a calamity indeed if theso were ousted from the field by the more accomplished professional.

RIDDING FOR PHOS'KSRIONALS

But there i* a second and almost as grave an objection to which professionalism is open — viz., that of wholesale migration. Ilere again one has lo look to tho Association game to see the effecls of this demoralising system. One cannot take- up a sporting newspaper without reading the head-line, '• Capture of tho famous Celtic forward so-and-so by such-and-such a club," or " Yesterday so-and-so, the Sunderland half-back, signed on for Southampton," and so on. The result of the system is that the clubs with the biggest exchequer can command the l>est players! and that the latter are knocked down to the highest bidder — it is, in fact, converting the game into an auction mart or a stock exchange of players. If I myself had the income of Baron Rothschild, and professionalism were legitimised, 1 could very soon collect in London n magnificent side of Rugby players, the majority of whom on their arrival would not know their way to St. Paul's. The late Sir Augustus Harris would have been a most admirable entrcpeneur to provide this sort of hippodrome entertainment for you. and he would, if th 6 task had been entrusted to him. have very soon engaged the best available talent, just as he got together his premier artistes for his Christmas production at Drury Lane, and thus you see in the Association game the extraordinary anomaly of players who last year were representing a Scotch club, the Celtic we will say, this season included in the team of an English one because pecuniary inducement has been offered to them to desert the land of their nativity.

In tin's commercial struggle to secure the best talent on the market the club which has the biggest gates comes off best. Success on the field of play means great receipts, but if the team has a bad season and the club coffers are depleted, the professional packs up his portmanteau and hiea him to the club which has offered him the best terms, in the same way as an actor leaves one theatre for another, because ho has secured a more profitable engagement. There is no stranger sight in the world to be seen than the populace of an English town becoming frenzied with delight over the victories of 11 hired Scotch players who havo as much to do with the town they represent as I have with Jerusalem, and who would play against that town to-morrow if a neighbouring club outbid their present proprietors. These blind enthusiasts forget two things : (1) That the credit of the performance belongs to Ihe land which bred these players and not to tho local club which hired them, and (2) that these hired migrators are excluded from the honour of representing their native town — the indigenous talent which it should be tba highest and noblest aim of sport to foster. To the majority of Rugby Unionists theso notionr are wholly repugnant. Their conception of toort is a vaey yi«t> hisiier on.B t.hau

reducing the game to an auction mart, and for this reason and because they will not allow the amateurs to be submerged, they have in this battle assumed an unbending and unyielding attitude.

There is, however, a moral aspect of this question which Rowland Hill made the subject matter of his speech at the Ohurch Congress at Exeter two years ago. He pointed out that football is not a game like cricket, which affords sufficient occupation to justify the devotion of a man's entire time to it. Three days a week are as much as anyone can play, and then only one hour and a-half at a stretch. This brings the total of the week's play to four and a-half hours. Allowing for training and practice in addition to this, the greater part of a man's time would still remain unutilised. The profession of football, then, means a life of comparative idleness M'hile it last?. But it is a game which a man cannot play for many years, and after his career is finished it leads to absolutely nothing, so thr.t the superannuate:! professional, when his short, day of activity is over, finds liimself stranded without resources, and has to begin, life again to get his bread.

THE FUTURE,

Wo now come to the prognosis. It is the fashion for the advocates of professionalism to say " the future is ours sooner or later, the Rugby Union will have to follow in the footsteps of the Northern Union and the Associatiqnists, and whether they like it or not, adopt it. :> The qviestion which such a, remark suggests is whether the Rugby Union is likely ever to open the gates to professionalism. Those who would answer "Yes" evidently imagine that the rivalry of the Northern Union and the defection of the northern olubs brought about by that body will coerce the Rugby Union into taking that step. I can assure them they are greatly mistaken. - 1 have sat on the committee of the Rugby Union for a period of 15 years, and have had constant opportunities of feeling, as it were, their pulse and of making an accurate diagnosis. I venture to say that I am thoroughly acquainted with the temperament of the governing body, and I know full well that come what mn.y they will never admit professionalism. I know also that if such a remote contingency were to be realised Rowland Hill (who has often made this declaration) and the mo«t prominent and influential members of tho committee would have nothing further to do with Rugby football in the future. Ido know, moreover, that there is the strongest possible antipathy to its adoption amongst the southern olubs, and that nothing short of a miracle could bring about a transformation of opinion such as would sanction its adoplon. Furthermore, I would point out that v In fever may be the prospects of northern clubs in the face of the competition of the Norll.Oi'n Union, those of the south are full of hope. In Devonshire and the East Midlands the jrame is progressing with wondrous strides- Year by year the number of their clubs increases, and year by year the enthusiosn? is greater. Here we have a fertile soil for future development. And then thero is the commercial side of the question. Granted professionalism, can the club? pay their way? In the Association game there are only 11 with the reserves to be subsidised, but in ours 15. This means keeping going at least 20 men throughout a Feason — a. very great drain on a club's resources. Only the richest, and that means the most successful, ones can stand this strain, and so professionalism would mean an opulent majority to the exclusion of those cluba which have failed to draw gates on account of the mediocrity of their performances. One question remains and it is worthy of tbo most careful confederation. Ought the Rugby Union to allow the reinstatement of players who have seceded but have repented, and now desire to return? Ought the aphorism " once a professional always c, professional " to be relaxed ? Tho problem is a very difficult one, and the position of the repenlants has not been improved by tho line of argument adopted by advocates of their cause, who uru;o that an amnesty should be pranto.tl bepaufo their client" look the step in ignorance of the consequences. Professional inquiry after inquiry has been held by the union for the last five years, on each occasion the law has been clearly enunciated, circulars have been sent out broadcast, and frequent warnings have been proclaimed. Does anybody for a moment suppose that the conttile speeders did not take this step with their eyes open? They would be holding a very much better brief if admission of the step were at once honestly and frankly made, and they appealed to the committee ad mieerieordum. Then [ think that their applications would be entertained, but I am sure that the excuse of ignorance will carry with it nd weight whatever. An honest admission will outweigh a specious hypothesis.