New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-31
THE VARS OF COLLEGE ATHLETES
ONE MAN WHO HOPES THAT EVERY ONE MAY
YET BE HAPPY.

OWE MAN WHO HOPES THAT EVERY ONE MAY
YET BE HAPPY.
war IN college athletics is only profitable when IL
comedies abuses and begins reforms Inc P'e'o"'
snIrt Of unrest at the principal Eastern colleges may
therefore be forgiven II II leads to petler oou'o
NJ affairs In the college athletic world Inc po
nnblic &c familiar with the position OF Harvard iaie
s r,ooton toward each other In athletics and has
onressed its opinions thereon But without reheaslns
teature of the controversy it seems as II one DIAGNOSIS
~ the difficulty had been overlooked IL Is Thai Vi
a college athlete who says:
4Tbe onesion Is whether the proper colleges contest
with each other and whether the basis on when they
meet is equitable. Consider, for example, the nsuai
membership of the intercollegiate Football Association,
hIch g Harvard YALE Princeton, the University OF
pornsvIvania and Wesleyan. Harvard Is not now In
ho association but II seems probable that she VIII
rotnrn This wear Now it is natural that Harvard
vale and Princeton should compete with each other
IN athletics but without discussing side issues 1t might
he PROPERLY asked why Wesleyan, for example should
have the privilege of conesting for the championship
Of the Intercollegiate Football Association at the ex'
pense Of Williams, Brown, Amherst, Dartmouth or
otber colleges larger than Wesleyan. There Is no In
tention of discriminating against Wesleyan, but IL Is
the purpose here to point out what seems 10 Dc an
ineuuitabe basis for competition among the colleges.
II NAV be argued that circumstances alter cases. ana
that Wesleyan entitled to prefcrment In this case De-
s'''
Williams. Brown Amherst or Dartmouth But here Is
Williams now playing a remarkably good game
for a bednner and Dartmouth and Amherst are
also making rapid progress in the game. and no doubt
Brown will do well in time, judged by her record
in baseball.
Furthermore, as the case now stands, the contest
for the championship of the association Is always
limited to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Wesleyan
and the University Of Pennsylvania are not In IT,
fac+4I hat rulp
tho University do not put forth their best EFFORTS
against the larger colleges but reserve their strength
for their annual contests with each other. They
usually play substitutes against Harvard
Yale and Princeton, and their games are often
farces. True they sometimes put up strong games
with their larger opponents. In 1884 both wesleyan
and the University defeated Harvard. But Harvard
had at that time reached the depths Of degradation in
football 1t is also true that the University and wes-
leyan gave Princeton good fight last fan
"But there could be little gained by roofing up
more Of the past in this respect Everybody inter
ested in football is familiar with this record. what
is needed now is new and fairer arrangement for
college football and baseball teams On which to con-
test 1t has been suggested that the intercollegiate
Football Association, for example, should not have
fixed individual membership, but that its composition
should be of variable character to be determined by
the victories and defeats of the year. An association
of this kind would include regular members Tor the
cess would depend entirely on their own work sup,
pose for example, that the association at the outlet
shonld be composed Of Harvard, Yale, Princeton,
Wesleyan and the University of Pennsylvania, the old
membership. Now to carry the new scheme
into effect let the association give Ger
tain number Of outside colleges the privilege
Of contesting for membership In the association ana
the championship. II Williams: the champion OF tne
Eastern Association could defeat Wesleyan or the
University, let Williams take a place In the league az
the end Of season, and let the association drop te
college that Williams beat. In the same way apply
this idea TO other cOntesting teams. -,
The merits OF this plan are more obvious than uie
defects and the minor details could be easily arranged
one strong argument in its favor Is the fact that II
wouh prevent the formation of cnques among the
principal colleges and would place college football on
a more eqntable basis. Every college man knows
that the actions OF the Intercollegiate Football Asso
citation are not always bipartisan Formerly Haryard
Rinceton and the University OF Pennsylvania com
bned in convention against Yale and Wesleyan. When
Harvard and Princeton fell out Princeton went over
10 the other side. Now that Harvard is ont on the
league and Princeton and the university are at
swords points is not easy to fOresee what new COM
hnations will acse in the future. but THIS new plan
certainly has the appearance Of fair play TO ALL
1t would be easy to combine the baseball league on
the same basis