The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-26
rHE GAME oF FooTBAL1.

season has revived an interest in the character of the sport. People fall to asking themselves what is it, after all, which makes it the most popular of all outdoor sports, which it is conced- ed it is? They also want to know why the Yale team, for example, plays so much better than any other aggrega- ton of young giants and finally why the colleges do not insist upon free ad- missions, thus theoretically eliminat- ing the professional atmosphere of the undertaking?
 The only way we can think of as eff fective in determining why football is of all outdoor sports the most popular is to compare the crowds which out door games attract If one should un- dertake to give the people their choice between a football game and game of baseball, each within easy ap- preach, it would probably be found that the former catches more surely the imagination of the spectator, as we have him in the average. It is a more powerful game, calls into play more physical strength and finally somehow appeals more to the feeling that the player in football game puts forth more energy and staying force than player in any other game. Foot ball has been criticised by some men eminent in their social station because it has no appeal to make to the finer emotions and that in consequence the danger is greater Undoubtedly that is just statement of its character, but at the same time the facts testify to an affinity on the part of crowds for just those human traits. A combat is more interesting to the average man than controversy. The something doing" equation is the strongest in any SOlA9luSAotAOA OA tl4O SdAilS Ol 1OOlphll which we can conceive of. It brings out the animal in people and 1t is the animal instinct they like to play upon. A number of reasons have been giv- en for Yale's supremacy on the grid iron. Many of them have been applied to the instruction of other college teams, but the contact has left Yale still in command. It cannot be the col Elege spirit, for no institutions in the world have finer spirit than Prince ton, West Point and Annapolis. II cannot be the professional spirit, be- tcause of all games football opens ur the narrowest welcome to a profes- professional trainers from the physical Ipoint of view, but gives no chance al Iall to professional instruction in the Iscience of the game, It Is pre-eminent. Fly a game for amateurs, which of itseli limits instruction in it to amateurs
 Boating has largely passed under the
 control of professional oarsmen and Ieven baseball has found place fol the professional coach. But the hu-
 man game of football has as yet de. lveloped no professional authority, |
 must be then that Yale wins more bat
 ties than other colleges because In
 stead of learning to win it bends ever!
 effort towards learning how to play. I
 is Yales conviction that victory hang
 upon knowledge of the game.
 The idea of free games at least be
 tween the larger institutions, is
 dream. There Is nothing practical fl
 it. The big structures could not sea
 the crowd that would attempt to fl
 them. Then would follow contests car
 ried on exclusively for the entertain
 ment of the undergraduates and thei , friends. There would still be the heav Iexpenses to meet and money woul have to be found elsewhere. Experl
 ence shows that gate fee is the sur , est method of controlling the gam P and financing it at the same time, lspecial rate being given undergrad luates for the season.