ATHLETIC FINANCES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4914, 2 April 1894, Page 3

ATHLETIC FINANCES.

♦ j ' THE FATE OF SOME AMBITIOUS CLUBS. The New York Spirit of the Times in a highly interesting article, bearing the above heading, throws a light upon the manner in which some amateur athletic clubß have been "run" in the United States. The following extraot will show how several great organisations came to grief owing to their extravagance and ambitious desire to ran before being able to walk .— The lee-shore of American amateur athletic sport is strewn with financial .wrecks, and we need mention but a few of the mote notable specimens. The Manhattan Athletic Club of New York city was organized on lines whioh would have ensured financial stability if the club had been managed with ordinary common sense. But its leaden imagined I it theh bounden duty to eclipse the New j York Athletic Club in every particular, and in pursuance of this theory expended, or rather promised to expend, more than a million dollars in club house and grounds, starting with no capital whatever, and depending on future receipts from initiation fees, dues, 1 gate money, &c, to pay interest on this million dollars, and gradually . reduce the principal of the debt. Colonel j Sellers never evolved a more chimerical I scheme, and it is a marvel of the age that an institution thus organised oould have succeeded in obtaining the confidence of mechanics and tradesmen ao thoroughly as to build on credit, and occupy for a year or more, the most magnificent athletic club-house in the world. As bills became payable and notes matured a scramble was made to obtain new members, whose initiation fees and dues j would meet pressing obligations. Men were coaxed, importuned and dragooned to become members. Men were made members without their consent, and even with* out their knowledge, on the off chance that some of them might acoept and pay. A small percentage of them did pay, and the remainder, in company with the usual rabble of laggards and defaulters, are now defending lawsuits brought by the receiver. If the club had been managed with any approximation to sound business methods, and its building Bchemes postponed until it raid its existing debts and acquired a fat sinking fund as a basis for its ambitious enterprises, it might have been alive and flourishing today, and in a position to begin making contracts for a new club-house, whereas its plans were dominated by ambition, Jealousy and insanity ; its club-house, built on promises ha. been sold at sheriff- sale, and only three weeks ago was offered at abont half its estimated value to the New York Athletic Club, whose members, in mass meeting, assembled, not only refused to accept the offer, but positively deolined to negotiate for its purohase at a reduoed figure. | During the summer of 1892 the Philadelphia Amateur Swimming Club had a club-house in Philadelphia and a swimming house at Lafayette, was represented on the Board of Managers of the Atlantic Association of the Amateur Athletic Union and claimed to have 3000 members. Bnt its dues and fees were so ridiculously small that if all had been paid the club would .till have needed the aid of gate-money to meet its current expenses, and itß business methods were ridioulous. Six months before its collapse two of its officers told I the writer of this article that of its 3000 ; nominal members less than 800 were in good standing on the treasurer's hooks, . and probably more than 2000 of them would never pay a cent of the amounts due from them to the olub. Of course the end of suoh management could not be long delayed. The club has been disbanded perforce, and its property sold by the sheriff. Less than a year ago the Columbia Athletic Club, of New York oity, occupied a olub house, had a representative on the Board of Managers of the Metropolitan Association of the Amateur Athletic Union, and was considered an energetic, flourish' ing and successful organisation. But itß dues and fees were insufficient to pay its ourrent expenses, and when it could make no more gate money from boxing shows it < collapsed, waß unable to pay the enormous ! Bum of 6dol due to the Metropolitan "Association for annual dues, and has , silently expired. A year ago the Xavier Athletic Assoeia- [ tion of New York oity had 2000 members and was in the front rank of Metropolitan clubs. But although its dues were light, . few of its members paid their small assessments and the olub was mainly supported by gate money and by the liberality of one generous patron. But this liberal benefactor recently removed to another field of labour, 1600 of the 2000 members have been expelled for non-payment of dues, and unless a note of lßOOdols is paid before Jan. 1, out of a treasury just now empty, the doors of the olub-houae will be closed. We are informed that new officers have taken hold of the olub's tangled affairs, with a fair prospect of bringing order out of chaos and establishing the club on a selfsupporting basis. Everyone will hope for the- success of tbeir efforts, but the . theory underlying the modern athletioolub is clearly illustrated by the published statements concerning the threatened collapse of this club. After a recital of the eharaoter an^ amount of the club's indebtedness, we read: "A reorganization committee has been appointed ahd steps will at once be taken to put the olub again on a sound basis." This reads well, but what are these steps? To have the members put their hands in their pookets and contribute enough to pay the debts P Oh, no ! Instead of this we read . " A series of entertainments will be organised for the purpose of raising the needed amount of cash." In other words, the members pro- : pose to cd joy the benefits and privileges of the olub, while the cost of these benefits and privileges is to be coaxed out of the public in the line of gate money. Just as this article goes to press we note, in the New York Times the following paragraph : i, "Walter Scott and C. B. Hogarth, two directors of the Paaßaio Athletic Club, are about to foreclose a chattel mortgage for l.OOdol on the olub traok and gymnasium and disband the organisation. The club baa lost money heavily during the last two base-ball seasons and haß been unable to gather enough subscriptions to enable it to meet its obligations. The mortgagees have given the members until Dec. 20 to effect an adjustment, but a meeting called for that purpose on Monday night resulted in nothing but wrangling." ! This caie is plainly put and easily understood. The regular dues from members were too Bmall to pay the expenses of the olub; the gate-money of its baseball games was insufficient to make up tbe deficiency, the members refused to put their hands into their own packets and the club property will be sold under foreclosure of mortgage. It will be unnecessary to give more selections from the long list, but if the Bureau of Vital Statistics was compelled ( to record the deaths of athletic clubs, as it j is of their individual members, the public i would be surprised at the great number of ' club, which flourished and filled the hewapapers during the successive athletic and boxmg crazes, but are now dead, buried and forgotten.