New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-29
TUE proUrpymEyTs OF FOOTBALL.

There will be no more football for year.
hut while the great games OF the season
which closes to-day are under discussion, ana
especially Thursdays Waterloo, some advan-
ape NAV possibly be derived from considering
few of the facts which they demonstrated.
The game of football is peculiar in this le-
snect. that whereas an extensive and costly
combination of appliances for the comfort ana
G. nvenience of the players and the publc Is
required, it is required but once year at a
single place OF course, considerable part OF
the apparatus exists for other purposes, base
ball in particular; but the attendance IS so
much larger at game OF football between the
great college rivals than at any baSebali con-
test that for the former practically new con-
ditions have to be created. That perfect
football field would be completely adapted for
baseball is true, but the reverse is not true.
There is no doubt whatever that the man.
aecment failed on Thursday at almost every
point. The surface of the playing field itself
was excellent, but scarcely anything else was
What it ought to have been. Spectators had
obtained control of thousands OF seats not
fewer than 1900 persons who would have been
glad to sit were compelled to stand; the police
acted like fools, and in many cases like brutes /;
negligence or favOritism permitted hundreds TO
occupy places to which they had no claim what
sOever; at the close of the game the multitude
who desired to get to Long Island City were
left in absolute ignorance OF the movement OF
the trains, some of which were damned to the
very coupling pins while others were only hall
filed. But these and many minor dellnquencies
and abuses sink into utter inSlgnliicance wnen
compared with the horrible avarice or incom-
petence which risked two or three thousand
human lives. The stand that collapsed was not
| overloaded on the contrary, it was not moro
| than two-thirds full. 1t won't do to offer the
| excuse that the occupants did more stamping
and jumping around than they ought to have
| done, for nobody supposed that they would SIT
motionless, like deaf-mutes at funeral. IL
was the business of the managers not to mag
inc that the structure was equal to the probable
strain, but to know in advance that 1T was tar
more than equal to any conceivable strain.
| 1t has been foohshly suggested that all dif1i'
culties will be solved with the advent OF pro-
| fessional football, played steadily for profit
But all whose opinion is supposed to be worth
anything agree that professional football is an
| impossibility, for various reasons. Only
small part of the year is suited to the game, fol
one thing; and, for another, it is well-ngh
certain that professional foOtball-players would
exterminate one another faster than their rank:
could be recruited. Relief from extortiOn and
other abuses and security for the persons and
comfort of spectators will be promoted, ii moi
made complete, when the college managers
directly or through graduate committees, as
sumo full control and make rigid contracts with
penalties attached. Instead Of only one great
| game in New-York or its suburbs there Ough
| to be two, and, as soon as Harvard comes bach
into the association, three. With such GER
| tainty of profit to reckon upon owners or les
sees of available land could well afford Il
make it permanently commodious and attlac
tive and in every particular to adapt it per
fecty to football uses.
Some OF our readers, we dare say, will thinl
that this subject is discussed with unnecessar!
fulness and solemnity but in reality it is NJ
trivial matter. Not fewer than $4,000 spec
tators were present at the game on Thanks
giving Day. The popularity of the sport i
increasing at an extraordinary rate, and it i
not unreasonable to suppose that five year
hence 10000 persons may attempt to see tn
final game of the season, or even twice tina
number, if at that time guarantee exists tina
al who attend will be we'll cared for Al
event that 100, 900 persons are bound to wit
ness and million more arc eager to real
about cannot be Insignificant even in the est
nation of those to whom such ardor is unin
telfgible.