The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-11-16
FOOT BALL

/ school players and former high school
I players defeated the Oshkosh high school
! last Saturday by score of to 0. The
game was played at the base ball grounds
and was holly contested throughout.
! The Oshkosh boys put up a stubborn
game at all times, but We're generally
kept ON the defensive. They seemed I'M
able to hold the locals until the ball was
almost to their goal-line when they
/ braced and held for downs several times
! during the game. There was no score
during the first half, the play being all
| in Oshkosh territory. In the second
could only run the ball back to their 10
yard line. The locals then stiffened
/ their defense, held for downs, and in two
or three plays pushed Willott over the
line for touchdown. Goal was missed
leaving the score 5 to 0 in favor of Mani
towoc. Neither side could cross the line
crossed at one time rs far as their oppo-
nents one-yard line. Interest in the
game was somewhat weakened because
it was not high school game in any
sense, and the superiority of the two
| high school teams remains unsettled. 1t
is very unfortunate that our school was
The arrangement by which outsiders re-
placed the regular players will not be
understood by any one outside of this
city, and by few here. The general inn
preston has been created that the Mani
| twoc high school plays ringers" and
no amount of well-meant explanations
| will remove the impression. Every
school or college that ever played
ringer has had some specious excuse for
so doing. But reputation for right
acting can never be built upon excuses
| The only way to have a clean reputation
| is to be clean. 1t was said Of last Sat
| urday's occurrence that three outsiders
| We're required to complete the eleven be-
| cause three regular members were dis
abled This was obviously untrue. Two
of the three were on the field looking re-
markably able bodied, Smalley and Kel-
| ley. They have both worked hard for
| the team this fall. Why were they not
| allowed to play? The third, Boynton,
was in the country but could have got
in town in time to play. The simple
| truth appears to be that the visitors
| looked big and so the home team load
ed up" for them. This is unpleasant, to
say the least The query suggests itself,
| would it not be better to abolish high
school athletics with all its benefits rath-
er than tolerate such methods? 1t seems
to have been forgotten that the purpose
of athletics in the high school is not to
win games by hook or crook, but to sup
| ply healthful physical exercise TO the
students, not to graduates. A single
episode like that of last Saturday can do
more harm in the student body than can
be offset by all the benefits of an entire
seasons training, physical and mental.
The boys of the school, whose ideas and
opinions are in a formative state, get the
notion that it's anything to win" They
are taught that if visiting players are
suspected of irregularity, they are justi-
| fed in breaking bounds to any extent to
meet it. They are bound to stand up
for their school, and accordingly have to
become apologists and defenders of
methods which older heads know to be
indefensible. They are led to believe
that all other schools are lax in their
ethics, and that their school must be
equally lax III order to keep up with the
procession. Ideas like this cannot be
be called elevating. Furthermore, they
see that it is of little use to get out and
hustle for the team, because when it
comes to a game they will be side track
! ed to make room for older and more ex-
perienced men, unconnected with the
school though they be. 1t is we'll
known fact, learned by painful expert
ence in other schools and colleges, mat
nothing kills athletic incentive quicker
than ringers. And without incentive
there can be no lasting success.
The occurrence of Saturday has harm
ed the school and its members. and has
damaged its reputation among the other
high schools. 1t will be difficult for
some time to give much force to it's de-
mands that the teams it completes with
shall be straight. It's opponents have
been given notice that this high school
regards ineligibles with complacency,
and they may not feel the scruples they
should. But an authoritative announce
ment that nothing of the kind shall hap
pen in the future under any circum-
stances will do much to put the school
right in the eyes OF the public Such an
announcement should be forthcoming,