The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, May 09, 1978, Image 8

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    Page 8
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1978
sports
By Mark Patterson
The voters of Texas deserve a horse laugh
03p0
.it £ ^ '**L V
The cost of a football game
By KEVIN PYLE
Try to remember, if you can or if
you haven’t blocked it out of your
memory completely, the afternoon
of Nov. 26, 1977. Can’t remember?
Well, that was the day when the
Longhorns of Texas stampeded into
Kyle Field and won a football game
by a score of 57-28 over the Texas
Aggies.
Many fans remember that partic
ular game, but few have ever
thought about how much it cost to
stage the event.
According to Wally Groff, assis
tant athletic director of business af
fairs, the game cost the Texas A&M
athletic department a total of
$15,662.44.
Most of the expenses went to pay
people hired for the game. Of these
people, the game officials got the
most money. Many Aggie fans feel
that the officials didn’t really de
serve to be paid, or were paid by
Texas; however, the athletic de
partment did pay $2,193 to the
Southwest Confeence for their serv
ices. The conference then paid the
officials an average salary of
$182.75.
A&M also had 80 hired people to
handle the ushering services. The
ushers got an average salary of
$13.10 with total salaries amounting
to $1,047.50.
For the 45 ticket grabbers at the
gates, A&M paid a total of $681.75,
for an average salary of $15.15 per
person. :
In addition, three ticket sellers
received $21 apiece, two elevator
operators together earned $67.25,
an electrician got $17.50 and a lost-
and-found person got $15.
The press box crew, who get a
th(
free barbeque dinner afte
game, got a total of $64.
Then there was the scoreboard
operator. He got $40.
For the seven first aid people
$135 was spent and for two gate em
ployees another $27 was paid. Also,
14 regular employees, secretaries,
ticket sellers and the field crew got a
total of $668.01.
For printing tickets for the game,
$2,185.40 was paid to printers Wel
don, Williams and Lick.
Because of the large crowd at the
game, an additional 5,000 seats had
to be rented. A&M spent $2,900 for
the sideline seats. This problem will
be alleviated in 1979, however, as
Texas A&M is adding more perma
nent seating to the stadium.
For security in the stands, Texas
A&M paid $1,190 to the City of
Bryan police department. The Col
lege Station auxiliary police, used
for traffic control, got $355.
Kyle Field gate security and park
ing attendants got $1,684.75, and
the public address announcer re
ceived $50 for his services.
Last but not least was the expense
for cleaning up the stadium. For this
A&M spent $2,121.38.
As prices increase each year, so
do the expenses for staging a football
game in Kyle Field and the amount
of people needed. The total cost for
the 1975 Texas game at Kyle Field
was $13,274.40, which is $388.04
less than the amount expended this
year.
An expense comparison showed
an increase of $309 in paying game
officials. The cost of chairs increased
$484 over the two year period.
Ticket prices went up $330.13.
Wage employees got $606.76 more.
Bryan police received $345 more
with College Station police getting a
$55 increase. The gate security and
parking attendants total salaries in
creased by $314.75.
Finally, showing that not all ex
penses go up, the clean-up of the
stadium went down $106.60. Groff
said this was due to the condition of
the stadium, so it seems when the
Aggies win, as they did two years
ago, their fans make more of a mess
than when they lose.
The next time Texas plays at Kyle
Field, in 1979, these expenses will
have gone up, partly due to increas
ing prices and also because there
will be three levels on each side of
the stadium instead of two, which
will mean more employees. Also,
the Aggies will hope for a large
clean-up expense.
nTFIEIrkW^.
United Press International
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bettors at
the Kentucky Derby Saturday
poured more than $10 million
through the mutuel machines to set
a new Derby record.
The 131,004 fans at Churchill
Downs bet $10,336,443 on races,
breaking the old mark of $8,811,486
wagered in 1977.
The total handle for the Run for
the Roses, $4,425,828, broke the
old record of $3,655,225 set last year
when Seattle Slew won the Derby
en route to the Triple Crown. Steve
Cauthen rode this year’s winner, Af
firmed, across the finish line.
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UNIVERSITY SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER
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Turning
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The generations change.
But the choices remain
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Specialty Sales -
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rSHIRLEY
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© 1977 20TH CENTURY-FO*
Direefed by
Award Winning
.Herbert Ross
^ 8:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. or Noon or 2:00 p.m.
or 4:00 p.m.
^ Monday May 8 Tues. May 9 C
; *
ulTTiiiiiiiiiiiirrr
****************+**$.
The voters of the state of Texas
got another chance to let their
narrow-minded views be know this
weekend at the polls. For the fourth
time in 10 years the people of this
great state of ours have denied citi
zens the joy of having a new sport
come to the state.
Now I enjoy watching a variety of
sports, ranging from polo to
backgammon, but I don’t think
there is another pasttime more
enjoyable than watching a beautiful
animal thundering around an oval
track. Especially when my money is
riding on the outcome of the race.
But the thing that makes me mad
enough to chew horse-shoes is the
thought that most of the people who
voted against pari-mutuel betting
for our state have probably never
seen a horse race and enjoyed its
pleasure.
Horseracing should be a part of
this state’s attractions for a mul
titude of reasons. Not only from the
money point of view but just for die
simple fact of letting people do
something they want to without hav
ing to drive to one of the neighbor
ing states to do it.
I think the most ridiculous reason
presented by the forces opposing
the adoption of the pari-mutuel
issue in this state is that the horse
racing business is run by the un
derworld and its existence would
promote underworld activity.
That’s a lot of horse manure. The
horse racing industry is one of the
most regulated gambling outfits in
the country. All wagers, money
spent and winnings paid out are
controlled and recorded by com
puters. There are no possible ways
for the underworld to control the
winners and losers of a race. That’s
up the the riders and horses them
selves.
The controls placed upon the hor
seracing industry ought to be ex
tended to other facets of the sport
ing world. If you don’t think there is
gambling going on in the other legal
sports of our state, you’re as back
wards as your vote to disallow horse
racing in Texas.
In this football-crazy state, need I
point out the Paul Hornung case or
the Alex Karras case to support the
theory that gambling exists in foot
ball?
But just from the simple view of
added revenue for the state, Texans’
money ought to stay in Texas, not
Louisiana, Arkansas or New
C ommentary
Sun Theatres
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12 Noon - 12 Midnight Sun
No one under 18
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set record
Now Leasing The
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Rent A New, Plush Apartment With A Balcony Overlooking
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Rental Office #
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Mini Storage Units Available.
Two Rental Offices:
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2. — E-Z Travel Motor Hotel
2007 Texas Open 24 Hours
693-2772
loupots
NEEDS
USED BOOKS!
Loupot can’t sell
used books to you
unless you sell to him
this spring!
So bring In your old books and
take out some cash!
— We pay cash for used books
LOUPOTS
BOOKSTORE
Northgate - Across from the Post Office
So, fellow racing fans, we can lay
aside our dreams of ever seeing the
Texas Derby being run for the yel
low roses. And we can say goodbye
to the companies that might have
chosen our state to hold their annual
conventions because there isn’t
enough excitement of entertain
ment. And we can say goodbye to
our money that would have
towards a reduction of state
Now it will go to the people
states that have realized
the twentieth century a
should be allowed.
So it’s on to the post a
you at the races. But, unfortai
not in the state of Texas
and liei
Mexico. The projected figure of
$300 million would have been
brought into the state if the referen
dum would have passed.
Going into this year’s primary the
professional horseracing people
thought they had a good shot of hav
ing the bill approved by the voters.
But again the rural backwoods
people of the state said no.
“I really had only been thinking
about victory plans,” said Charles
Hancock, secretary-treasurer of the
Texas Horseracing Association, Inc.
“I thought we had an outstanding
chance to win it this time.”
They would have if the Demo
crats and the country folk would
have voted in support of the bill.
The Republicans split in their sup
port of the proposal while the urban
voters were in support of legaliza
tion.
And the scapegoat for the losers,
as they have been the last times the
pari-mutuel betting bill has eome
before the voters of the state, are
the Southern Baptists. Voting in a
block the religious group has dic
tated what will transpire throughout
the entire state.
The one thing that the bill had
going for it this time was the option
that the communities would have in
allowing the betting to exist. It was
to be each community’s option to
allow the horses in the area. Now it
will be withheld from everyone.
We Take Care Of
Our Customers!
If your calculator’s gone out rightbel
fore your exams, we’ll fix it or loaj
you another one ’til it is fixed.
Calculators
Batteries • Accessories
We Do It All
We want your problems as wel|
as your business.
Loupot’s Bookstore
We’re Looking
for Counselors
Camp Olympia is looking for summer counselors!
If you enjoy the outdoors and the rewarding s
perience of working with and teaching cl
recreational activities, contact
TOMMY FERGUSON
713-594-2541 LOCAL
443-1153 HOUSTON LINE
HAVE 3 POSITIONS OPEN FOR MALE COUNSELO
JUNE 6 - AUGUST 12
Chris Gilbert
Owner
Corby Robertson,J
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Tommy Ferguson
Director
Camp
Olympia
Rt. 2, Box 25-B
Trinity, Texas 75862
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