AMATEUR, a person who takes part in any art, craft, game or sport for the sake of the pleasure afforded by the occupation itself and not for pecuniary gain (Lat. amator, lover). Being thus a person for whom the pursuit in question is a recreation and not a business, and who therefore presumably devotes to it a portion only of his leisure and not his working hours, the average amateur usually possesses less skill than the average professional, whose livelihood and reputation depend on his proficiency, and who therefore concentrates all his energies on the task of attaining the greatest possible mastery in his chosen career. In the arts, such as music, painting and the drama, the best amateurs are outdistanced as executants not merely by the best professionals but by professionals far below the highest rank; and although the inferiority of the amateur is not perhaps so pronounced or so universal in the case of games and outdoor sports, the records of such pastimes as boxing, billiards, motor-cycle racing and golf prove that here also the same contrast is to be found. Hence it has come about that the term "amateur" has acquired a secondary meaning, usually employed somewhat contemptuously, signifying inefficiency, unskilfulness, superficial knowledge or training.
The immense increase in popularity of athletic contests and games of all kinds in modern times, and especially the keen competition for "records" and championships, often of an inter national character, have made it a matter of importance to arrive at a clear and formal definition of the amateur as distinguished from the professional. The simple, straightforward definition of the amateur given above has been evaded. Cases are not unknown in the history of county cricket where players preserve their amateur status who, although they are not directly paid wages for cricket, are provided with the money enabling them to take a regular part in the sport by means of a salaried secretaryship or other office, very liberal grants for expenses, etc. Similarly "gentlemen riders" sometimes receive indirect remuneration. The various associations controlling the different branches of sport have therefore devised working regulations to be observed so far as their jurisdiction extends. Thus the Amateur Athletic Asso ciation of Great Britain defines an amateur as "one who has never competed for a money prize or staked bet, or with or against a professional for any prize, or who has never taught, pursued or assisted in the practice of athletic exercises as a means of obtaining a livelihood." The rules of the Amateur Rowing Association are stricter, denying amateur status to anyone who has ever steered or rowed in a race with a professional for any prize, or who is or has been by trade or employment for wages a mechanic, artisan or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty, besides insisting upon the usual restrictions in regard to taking money and competing with professionals. In association football the rules are much more lax, for although amateurs are clearly distinguished from professionals, an amateur may even become a regular member, though unsalaried, of a professional team with out losing his amateur status. The Rugby game was, up to entirely controlled by the Rugby Football Union, which, by the strictness of its laws, effectually prevented the growth of pro fessionalism, but there had been much dissatisfaction in the prov inces with the Union's decision against reimbursing day-working players for "broken time," i.e., for that part of their wages which they lost by playing on working days, and this resulted in the formation (1895) of the Northern Union, which permitted remu neration for "broken time" but allowed no person who worked for his living to play football unless regularly employed at his trade. Later the Northern Union became purely professional in character and developed into the Rugby league. In 1927 the International Olympic Committee was persuaded to announce that payment for "broken time" might in the case of Association football be made to the employer(s) of the player(s) affected. This announcement was completely contrary to the whole spirit of these modern games, as revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and as defined in 1908 in legislation accepted by all the nations then competing. The British Football Association therefore with drew from the Olympic Games (1928) ; and other developments of the same kind will probably occur. In the United States the amateur question has been less vexed than in Great Britain and is less complicated in theory, although the intensely businesslike character of the American conception of sport has encouraged professionalism. The Amateur Athletic Union of the United States recognizes all amateur sports and claims jurisdiction over certain important branches, excepting, however, baseball, football, golf, rowing and tennis (see ATHLETIC SPORTS, section, United States).
The A.A.U. rules on the amateur status define an amateur sports man as "one who engages in sport solely for the pleasure and physical, mental or social benefits he derives therefrom, and to whom sport is nothing more than an avocation." The rules, so far as they relate to professionalism, are: No person shall be eligible to compete in any athletic meeting, game or entertainment, given or sanctioned by this Union, who has (I) received or competed for compensation or reward in any form for the display, exercise or example of his skill or knowledge of any athletic exercise, or for rendering personal service of any kind to any athletic organization, or for becoming or continuing a member of any athletic organization; or (2) has entered any competition under a name other than his own, or from a club of which he was not at that time a member in good standing; or (3) has knowingly entered any competition open to any pro fessional or professionals, or has knowingly competed with any professional for any prize or token; or (4) has issued or allowed to be issued in his behalf any challenge to compete against any professional or for money; or (5) has pawned, bartered or sold any prize won in athletic competition. It will be seen that by rule 3 the American Union enacts a standard for all athletes not much different from that of the British Amateur Rowing Associa tion. The rules for the sports not within the Union's jurisdic tion are practically the same, except that in baseball, cricket and golf, amateurs may compete with professionals, though not for cash prizes. The number of professional football players has grown in recent years and many of the more widely_ known re cruits have come from college football. Not a few of the greatest of the professional baseball players have played the game at college. The question whether a college undergraduate may legally play baseball for pay during the summer months has not yet been definitely answered. The Rugby Football Union recognizes no such person as a professional player.
It is probably impossible to produce any definition of an ama teur which will cover all sports in any single nation. It is hopeless to try to define an amateur for all sports all over the world. The only reasonable method of getting amateurs together in any great international meeting is to lay the responsibility for their selection and appearance upon the governing body of the sport in which they compete in the nation which they represent. These govern ing bodies at least will have fairly similar rules in all countries, because, in nearly every case, they are affiliated to international associations of the particular sport concerned; and therefore prac tical justice will be as nearly as possible satisfied. (See also ATH LETIC SPORTS, United States, and Savage, Games and Sports in British Schools and Universities, ch. vii., 1927.)