Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-26
PROPOSED "BIG Sx"
League of Eastern UNIVERSE
ties Suggested.
WOULD EFFECT REFORM
PRESIDENT RoosEVFLT's RE
MARKS ON COLLEGE FOOT BALL.
Brutality and Unfairness Could Be
Eliminated by Strict Enforce
ment of the Rules.
WOULD EFFECT REFORM

About the sanest remarks made apropos
OF college athletics In the east were those
made last week by President Roosevelt to
DR.. J. William White of the University of
Pennsylvania Most important of all, the
President put himself on record as opposed
to those white-blooded educators who pro
fessed a desire TO see foot ball eliminated
from college life.
Among the friends of the game IT is
felt that the Presidents remarks come at
particularly opportune time, and that they
will result In the reform of the game and
not in its abolition. President Roosevelt's
ideas are in line with those of other leading
reformers and opponents of the strenuous
life. Brutality and unfair play are the en-
emies Of the game. according to the Presi-
dent and these he would eliminate by
stTicter code of rules and their absolute en-
forcement by the officials. There have been
played this fall two games which illustrate
ana prove the Presidents point These were
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. game and the
Yale-PriuCetOn contest. In each Of these
games the officials fearlessly enforced the
rules, and a result they We're almost
totally free from the charges of unneces-
sary roughness. brutality and unfairness.
With even stricter rules and more power
conferred upon the officials these evils can
be still further reduced.
League of the big Six
But. aside from this, the President ex-
pressed views which almost escaped notice
at the time but which If followed will set
tie Immediately all the intercollegiate
squabbles and hostilities of the east. The
President suggested that the leading six
universities of the cassidy which he must
have meant Yale, Harvard, Pennsylvania,
Princeton, Cornell and COlumbia-get to-
gether and draw up a new code to govern
foot ball as an intercollegiate sport and in
order that these rules be made effective that
the Big Six play against each other, all
observing this new code of honor
This very sensible suggestion, If carried
out, would do away In an instant with the
foolish enmity which now keeps Pennsyl-
vanIa and Yale, Pennsylvania and Prince
ton, Cornell and Yale and Harvard and
Princeton apart, AS far as foot ball Is con-
cerned these universities persistently re-
fuse TO meet each other on the gridirOn, and
all because of misunderstanding which de
veoped decade or more ago, and are now
kept alive by unthinking alumni. The
Presidents suggestion would lead to the
formation of an intercollegiate league in
the east and one which would settle the
intercollegiate championship in the various
sports. At present the intercollegiate cham
pionship In foot ball, when settled at all,
is settled only by accident. More often It
is left a matter for dispute between the
leading two OF three universities.
II need not follow that the organization
of such league would compel each mem
her of the Big Six to play each other
member every year Foot ball as PLAYED at
present is too strenuous a sport for one
team to play five championship games in
one short season. But the championship
problem could be solved just the same by
pairing off the different members and let
ting them work down through sem-findls
and finals. the two indicated teams 20
meet for the intercollegiate champions
Should there be such an intercollegiate
league il would mean the necessity of uni
form eligibility codes, the lack Of which has
resulted in nearly all the intercollegiate
squa0bles we have had in recent years.
Possibilities Of the League.
The other possibilities Of the league aia
almost endless Not only would it settle
the foot ball championship and put an end
to hostility between two rival universities,
but it would bring together the leading uni
versiues in other sports. such as base ball
and rowing. At present track athletics is
the only sport in which all of the colleges
meet each other. only a few Of the col
leges meet each other on the diamond. This
suggestion would result IN the arrangement
Of an intercollegiate base ball schedule in
which each college would play a series of
games with the others. all on percentage
basis. as in the National and American
leagues. The team with the highest stand
ing would then be awarded the intercoIle-
giate championship, and college base ball
would profit everywhere. The only reason
not meet each other now is their foolish
Jealousy OF each others prosperity.
II would also mean the merging of the
two intercollegiate regattas of the east the
one now held at Poughkeeps,e and the other
at New London. II this plan were accept
able IL would result I'm the holding OF one
big regatta. preferably at POughkrepsie. as
this is the only body of water large enough
for the meeting OF SO many crews
What other reforms this league would re-
suit IN are not known; but Il would GER
talnly agree upon the following points of
eligibility:
l. No freshman 10 be allowed TO compete
in intercollegiate athletics
:. Every student athlete to be a strict am
ateur without the provisions in the Har-
ward and Yale codes for whitewashing GER
tain athletes who admit having been paid
for their services.
3. The limiting Of an athletes eligibility to
four years.
The Recent White House Conference.
The President also cleared up one other
point, much to the qualification of Penn
sylvania, Cornell and Columbia When
Yale. Princeton and Harvard men held their
conference in Washington with the Presi-
dent for the purpose of considering the
brutality OF foot ball 1t was made to appear
that this meeting had been called by the
President, and that the other members of
the big Six" had been purposely ignored
as though they were not important enough
10 SIT in conference with Harvard, Yale and
Princeton. Inspired articles from Yale and
Harvard were sent out with the announce
ment that these colleges were about to re-
store the days of the big Three" and
making it appear that President Roosevelt