The Portland daily press., 1897-11-20
A FIGHTERS OPINION.
Mr. James COrbett on the CANA If
Football.

Game-ThinlSs Football More Da,
Gus Than Prize Fighting But N.+,,,,,
Does Not Regard Brutality an ohisc-
tfonabie.
James ]. Corbett, the ex-ohamnion
heavy weight pugilist, writes to the edi-
tor of the New York World as follows.
"All games that require couraoe.
strength and endurance must be rough TO
a certain extent. You cannot show vorr
powers of endurance unless those mowers
are pushed. You cannot show your
strength unless you have a strong man
against you.
'tThere are lot of people in this world
who are always sore about anything that
seems to be popular.
"Spot that attracts attention because
it develops and exhibits all the rugged
qualities there are in man appears to
excite their special animosity.
"No use trying to reason with these
people. They will not listen to it. They
have practically stopped boxing contests
hereabouts.
|
''In comparing football with the form
of sport with which have become more
or less prominently identified. I wish to
say that, s.a mere exhibition sof brute
force, boxing contests cannot even start
with football. They are not in the same
class.
/ 81 have met the best men that have
come into the prize ring within the last
ten years, and am not afraid to meet
them again, but all the kings horses and
all the kings men could not draw me
into football game. I have too much
regard for my limbs. could not afford
to take the chances.
| 'In prize Fighter boxing contest,
as prefer to call it, for 1 never engaged
in prize fight in the literal definition of
the word-a man has only one opponent
to face. If he is knocked down and re-
mains down ten seconds without gettin
up he Is declared beaten. Ten seconds
pass very swiftly, yet man who knows
his business is knocked down great
many times before he remains down ten
seconds. That of itself shows that he can
| not be very badly hurt. 1t is impossi-
BILE, as boxing contests are now conduct
| ed, for man to be hurt severely.
Contrast that with football game.
have seen some of the fairest contests
played in this country in which players
afterward had to be carried off the field.
Bear in mind I am not arguing against
football or any other rough sport that call
out all the manly qualities.
81 Fam simply trying to demonstrate
| that people who favor football and object
to boxing contests know as little of what
they are talking about as do people
with feeble bodies. who measure the Ca
pabilities of a trained athlete with their
own limited powers of endurance.
''In football man has to face, not one
but dozen opponents. When he goes
down he is likely to find fifteen men on
top Of him. He can't cry enough and
get to his feet. There Is no referee to
stand over him and protect him. No one
knows how badly he Is hurt until the
fifteen men get off him and he tries to
rise to his feet Nothing of that kind in
the prize ring.
II have stood in the grand stand at the
Polo grounds and seen men and women
who hold up their hands in horror at the
mere mention of a prize fight applaud
vigorously when a player of the side an
taQonistio to their sympathies was carried
off the field crippled. They thought that
his loss would enable their favorite to
win the game. The better the man and
the more serious his injuries the louder
they cheered. There was no more feeling
for the injured men in the hearts of those
people than there was in the hearts of
ancient Romans who watched the gladi-
atorial contests for the victims torn to
pieces by the wild beasts; but these are
the men who howl against boxing con-
tests.
Gas 1 said before, 1 like to see a game
of football. These rough sports interest
me as they do hundreds of thousands OF
others. L see nothing brutal In them.
The men are especially trained to meet
the tests they are called upon to endure
People who haven't sporting spirit
above croquet have no right to judge of
them. They are sane men and able men.
quite old enough to determine what is
good for them, and they should not be
interfered with by a lot of old women
They calculate every chance of injury
very carefully. They train their sturdv
bodies to meet resistance at every noint
where they know from experience that If
is likely to be exerted. They are in the
pink of physical condition. They know
their superior strength, and it gives them
pleasure to exert it. They glory in their
brute force and strain it to it's utmost
without any idea Of brutality-using the
word in its literal sense-ever entering
their minds. No weakling is allowed in
a college football contest.
"Thsse men don't want the symnathv
that is mistakenly wasted on them. Tho
chances Of injury are very small, and If n
man is wounded in contest of thai Kind
he gIories in his scars. Our collepe str.
dents cannot fight duels as thew do at
HefIalhuro hut thew are ao,.11