White Males Only?

Three years ago, modern major-league baseball ended a senseless tradition when Jackie Robinson crossed its color line. Long before that, other Negroes had fought their way to the top in the prize ring and football and run off with track & field laurels. The one big competitive field still closed to them in sport is bowling, ruled by the autocratic American Bowling Congress, whose membership (estimated at 1,500,000) is limited to "white males" only. Last week, Attorney General Nathaniel Goldstein of New York rolled one right down the middle against A. B.C.

Filing for a permanent injunction against A. B.C. that would ban all its activities within the state, Goldstein's move gave the Congress 20 days to change its Jim Crow ways. A. B.C. officials were expected to do exactly what they did when similar action was taken in Illinois three months ago -- nothing. A.B.C.'s 1950 national championship, the World Series of bowling which may draw as many as 30,000 entrants, was set for Columbus, Ohio in April. A.B.C. seemed safe so far. But with A.B.C. facing the fact of diminishing domain elsewhere, it would probably be only a matter of time before it got into line or out of business.

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