New-York tribune., 1906-10-08
FOOTBALL IN 1906.

The football season is in some quarters re-
Sarded as opening rather discouragingly for those
who have anticipated a thorough reformation of
the game ana an entire elimination from it of all
its undesirable features result of last sea
sons agitHtion deliberotion and reorgan iza lion
Of the rules committee and revision Of the rules
The movement last year was directly provoked
by the fatal injury of player in a game at
New York University, and to the publics mind
It's purpose was chiefly. il not solely. TO make
the game less dangerous 70 life and limb As
already this season two or three deaths and
several severe injuries have been reported as
results Of football playing under the reformed
system. some are saying that the whole move
ment for reform was q wretched failure and
that the last state Of the game threatens TO be
worse than the first
In that we doubt If they speak wisely The
few casualties thus far reported are of course
deDlorable. But they can scarcely be considered
as forming an adequate basis for conclusive
comparison of the revised game with the old.
Longer trial and more extended observation ara
necessary before judgment can be passed ubon
the new rules as safeguards against injury
Moreover the very fact that the game is this
year being played IN q new way was naturally
10 be expected 10 cause some accidents at the
beginning Of the season. Some boys have doubt
less been injured simply because Of their lack
Of familiarity with the new methods of play. and
others because they have mistakenly tried 10
make up with an excess Of zeal and energy for
the temperjng restraints which have been put
upon the game by the new rules
It is a most regrettable thing to have even
a single player killed in the course 0f n whole
seasons games. But we cannot say with some
extremists, that a single death is sufficient
cause for abolition of the game If that rule
were enforced we know Of no game worth play
Ing which would be left. There have been
deaths directly attributable TO baseball, cricket
golf, polo hockey, tennis basketball and almost
every other game, as well as to rowing. swim
ming running, wrestling and all other athletic
exercises. Deaths occur in connection with all
the activities Of human existence The question
is not whether they occur but whether they
occur in dispropOrtionatey great numbers and
whether the fullest possible precautions against
their occurrence are taken. There have been in
some seasons far too many deaths and serious
injuries from football. If the number is not
lessened this season under the new rules the
rules will have failed in that respect md
further reform will be necessary But the whole
season OF play is not properly to be Judged in
advance from the experimental games OF the
first week or two.
Nor Is II Just TO Judge the new rules BY their
effect IN only that one particular They were
intended 10 effect other reforms some OF them
OF great moral and ethical rather than physical
Importance. We shall be interested TO see how
we'll they serve their purpose in those respects
whether brutality and trickery are repressed.
whether .the professional" spirit is eliminated
and whether the overexploitation Of the game
is checked, the vastly exaggerated estimate of
il is corrected and football is put into It's proper
place-as manly game, exhilarating TO the
players and interesting TO the spectators, but
by no means the be-all and the end-alI OF school
and college life