Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-31
Foot Ball is
Biggest Gard
in Athletics
Big Annual Gridiron Contests Draw
More People Than Any
Other Sport.

NEW YORK, Oct. o.-Tha the attend
ance gauge will register high pressure at
the coming Yale-Harvard and Yale-Prince-
ton foot ball games is assured. While the
first of the two great gridiron classics,
the Eli-Tiger match, will not be staged
until November 10. a very complete and
wild ticket stampede has been started.
Every year at this time 1t seems as
though the rush for the pasteboards will
never again be equalled, but the follow
ing season always finds an increased de-
mand. The same is the case this autumn.
From present indications the supply will
be totally inadequate to cope with the de-
mand, and it appears a surety that more
persons than ever before who have planned
to witness the big games" will be doomed
to disappointment. THE early seeker
catches the ticket is a gridironSadage that
will hold truer than ever this autumn.
Plans for the allotment Of tickets have
been made at Yale, Harvard and Prince
ton. The different numbers of the prov
erbially precious pasteboards that the grad
uate, undergraduates. trustees, coaches and
players may apply for have been deter
mined. Already the applications are being
filed by the hundreds and the ticket man
agements at all three universities state
that the demand is unprecedented. Be that
as It may, 1t is safe to say that not more
than one-third of the filed applications will
be filled by the committees az the three
universities.
At Harvard they say that 1OO,O 900 tickets
could be disposed Of for the Yale game il
the stadium would seat that number. As
it is, Soldiers field will only accommodate
81, 1000. Incidental to Cambridge, the largest
crowd ever at a foot ball game attended
the Yale-Harvard game of 1905. That year
A4,6OO spectators locked to the stadium.
However, the seating capacity was subse-
quently lessened to that $1,000 is the high
attendance mark at the present time. II
the planned Yale stadium becomes a
reality certain Il is that the 1850 crowd
viii be no longer a record one. With a
seven-and-one-half-acre stadium at New
Haven a 10000 seating capacity win be as
sured.
There is no gainsaying, the fact that
general interest in football this year is
greater than ever before in the history
OF the sport. The equalizing of the strength
OF the teams made possible by studious
application to the possibilities Of the new
game has done Its work. Attracted by the
close games that the small colleges have
been playing with the big varsitles, many
more enthusiasts have attended the early
season contests than was the case I'm
other years. All over the country comes
the news from team managers that the
attendance so far has been in excess Of
previous autumns.
The foregoing only goes to show what
may DO expected in the matches of next
month. Everard Thompson, Yale's ticket
manager, ascribes the inceased attendance
to two things-"new foot ball" and the su-
tomobile. Thompson declares that the re-
vision in the playing code increased the
popularity OF the sport, and that the now
very general use OF the motor car has
gained many new devotees to the autumn
pastime. The fact that the Yale supply OF
tickets for the Army game was exhausted
is proof conclusive Of the hold that the
game has taken at New Haven.
While the Bulldog viii not take the
field against his ancient rival. the Tiger.
until November IS. and Harvard a week
later, those Interested are already prepar-
ing for the match. Il goes without say
ing that Princeton's invasion OF New
Haven will be most complete. The entire
student body will probably make the 1trip
and a host Of graduates and friends OF the
university are expected TO be on hand.
Already there is talk Of the famous Jungle
town eating clubs making the trip in
special cars. Taken from every viewpoint.
the match will certainly be featured by
an Orange and Black tinting Of the Bull
dogs preserves. And at Cambridge thought
Is already being givea to the great crowd
that win throng the stadium on November
40 the date OF the Yale game.