Imperial Valley Press

NEW YORK. Feb. 24. - (UP)-
These are boom times in the sports world.

Despite the ban on pleasure driving in the east and wartime transportation difficulties the country over, sports is enjoying one of its box office seasons this winter.

Considering the talent they have, promoters are getting more than their share of the war workers' earnings. They are doing almost as well as they did in the 1920's, considered the golden decade of sports.

They can't match the talent of the 20's or the million-dollar gates. for there are no Babe Ruths. Bobby Joneses. Bill Tildens. Man o' Wars, Jack Dempseys, Gene Tunneys or Red Granges around today. But with lesser lights they are crowding sports arenas of the nation.

BEST SEASON
Boxing is in the middle of one of its best indoor seasons in history.
There aren't too many name fighters but boxers like Beau Jack, Willie Pep. Ray Robinson and others are good enough to get the people out. Boxing clubs are running short of preliminary fighters and are beginning to use boys who in normal times still would be doing their boxing in small clubs. In normal times it would be pretty hard to imagine 18,000 to 20,000 people paying $7.50 and $7.75 for ringside seats for some of the shows Madison Square Garden is putting on. The boxing boom isn't only in the east-it's a nation-wide upswing.

BREAKS RECORDS
Basketball at Madison Square Garden will break all attendance records this year and is doing all right at the box office all over the country. So is hockey. The New York Rangers, with the poorest teams in history, are running ahead of last year's crowds. After going 20 games without a victory, more than 15,000 fans turned out to see the Rangers break their string at the expense of the Montreal Canadiens.

The few winter tracks operating are drawing more people than expected and they are pouring almost as much money through the mutuel machines as previously. Six thousand people at a track today will bet as much money as 10,000 did last year.