Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15
Features of Interest About the Game
Of Football as One Sees
1t Nowadays
The RULES AND ROUGH PLAYING.
Comment About the Challenge Of Sullivan
to Fight Slavin Twelve
Months From Nov.
LOCAL BASEBALL CLUB ATFlIRS
We Meeting Of the National League and the fxMe
Work Done by the NagnatA

Almost every day Is proving TO us tina.
football is becoming more popular than its
most enthusiastic patrons ever expected it to
become for a long time. Last year a gen.
eral boom in the sport began, and it has not
only continued, but has increased in force
all round. As result, We have more foot
ball clubs of all kinds in the country to-day
than there ever were, and the quality of
playing is considerably better. Pitts
burg has taken part in the boom, and very
good part it has been. But while football
has increased in popularity here there are
large number of people who complain
about the very rough features of the Rugby
game. There is considerable reason for the
complaints, but It might be well to point
out that this undue roughness is not neces-
sary; that is, the rules of the play do not re-
euire it. 1t is also worth pointing out that
what some people call trough play" is not
rough play at all. People who have not
been accustomed to witness football games
PLAYED unGe: America Rugby rules nat
urslly come to the conclusion that almost
every tackle or interference is prompted BY
desire among the players to break each
others neck, leg or arm.
Il must not be forgotten that football is
20 all intents and purposes rough game,
and those who take part in it must never for
. moment think that it is as harmless and
ss slow as croquet. Football as recreation
Is more than 1000 years old, ard it has ever
been one Of the most lively sports and one
which has afforded more opportunity than
any other for the development of all our
physical faculties. A young man, devoid of
pluck, activity and endurance, need not en-
ter iuto football contest. Football is not
for Spoiled children" =" but only for those
who can take & knockdown and give one
and think nothing about it. And depend
upon 1t, there is some hope for the Young
athlete who can come out of his college,
leave his books behind and run and pitch
and tumble about the football field for an
hour or so. 1t is this idea more tnan any
other that seems to be prompting so many
people TO encourage football playing now.
Some Leading Distinctions.
These rough or alleged rough features of
The American Rugby game have caused one
or two correspondents 10 write me on the
matter. One correspondent asks whether or
not the Rugby game played here is the
came Rugby game plave I in England. It
Is not ana the changes have been made grad
ualiy. True some years ago q number of
harvard students went over to England
and returned with the English Rugby rules.
The latter formed the basis on which the
present American-Rughy rules are built;
but the leading feature which permits
might say encourages rough play in the
American game. and which is not to be
found in The English game, is that of lining
ur. IN the English game the PLAYERS 90
not line up lace TO face as if they were 60
ing TO have fstic encounter. The players
stand far away from each other, and of
course this prevents the rough play we
often see in an American game resulting
from collision been the rush lines
And the Irish game is also PLAYED in a
way that does not cause as much rough |
work as does the American game. In the |
irish game one player cannot tackle an
other player except one Of them has the
ball As preventative of rough play this |
Is g GOOD arrangement. In the English |
Association game player is not allowed to
touch the bail at all with his hands 1t will |
be seen, therefore, that as far as rough play |
ing is concerned the American-Rugb
game can according to rules have more of it |
than any other style of game. But when
this is said don't think that anything is said |
GO mean that there is undue roughness al |
lowed bv the American-Rucby rules. There |
rough play takes place, it is more the fault |
OF the umpire than of the rules
About the Rough Play.
A day or two ago Mr.. j. ID. Thompson,
one of our local PLAYERS, in speaking of |
recent game at Exposition Park remarked |
that had the contest been played on any of |
the leading college grounds a good number |
Of players would have been ordered off the |
Eeld Now this is very important state |
mcnt, simply because it implies that the |
umpire Of an American Rugby football |
game has much to do as whether or not the |
game shall be undulv rough This ought to !
be very satisfactory and umpires ought to
make their minds up to veto all rough play |
shat borders on blackguardism. A few
days ago : witnessed a game wherein
visiting player deliberately banged Pitts
burgers nose until the blood flowed freely.
L is this kind of conduct that is causing /
such large portion of the public to CON-
plain about rough playing and it is this
kind Of work that umnires must by all |
means stop at once. It cannot be expected
Chat good football players will act as gentle !
as lambs on the field, but it can be expected |
that they VIII not act like toughs and
blackgUards.
The Local Kickers.
There Is now strong hope that our two
prominent local teams will finally face each
other. For some time past there has been
considerable talk about contest between
the Three AS and the East End Gyms. The
latter have been contending that the former
were afraid to play them; but such has not
been the case. 1t has been a question of
getting suitable date. Finally it has been
agreed 20 have game between the two
teams on Wednesday next If this arrange
nent is carried out the contest will be one
OF the most interesting there has been
played here for long time. The teams
seem 20 be evenly matched, and most cer-
tainly the rivalry between them is as in
tense as it can be. If a game is PLAYED be-
everything will pass off all right. The teams
creased interest there is now in the game in
and about Pittsburg. If the efforts of the
local athletic clubs in the way of getting
together good football teams prosper in the
next u months as well as they have done
in the past II months, certainly we will
have one or two excellent teams here next
fall and winter.
Trouble in Their Camp.
1t is necessary to say a few words rela-
tive 70 the state OF affairs in the Western
Football League. No organization was go
ing better along than that one, but sudden
lY trouble has appeared, and kind of
trouble that threatens the existence of the
entire organization. The League NAV col
lapse at any time, and all because a majori-
~ of its members few nights ago met and
acted as If they were utterly devoid of
reason. There have been many curious and
strange meetings held in connection with
! i. /