The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-12-11
e. T. LIVE NEWS OF THE SPORTING World /
NNiS
WRESTLING
RACING
BOXING

will ruin it unless removed American
college football may be made as free
from liability to serious accident as any
other intercollegiate sport, and the
campaign to accomplish this result
should be Immediately renewed The
reforms inaugurated a few years ago
are insufficient. Football had sufficient
| vita ity and support to resist the in
PRODUCTION of radical changes at that
time. Indeed. the changes then in
PRODUCED were so Sight that no great
| Improvement in results was to be ex-
pected, and some college authorities.
dspairing of reform. began to advocate
Rugby. The situation today is some
what changed-the conservative ele-
ment has been weakened by the criti-
cism of the recent years. and the ele-
ment that insists on reform has been
materially strengthened. I believe
that if movement for thorough
going reform were started at this time
in football circles it would undoubt-
eddy succeed.
college faculties will never reform
football. They may abolish it, or reg
ulate it-but measures of reform must
originate with those who play the
game.
Il think that it is quite unlikely
Rugby will be generally substituted
for American College football A ma
tons games are as tru y national as a
nations songs Rugby III the United
oiiity will remain so. Rugby does not
eliminate the liability 10 accident, and
is not as good game, either from the
standpoint of the player or IF the spec
tator. The chief argument for Rugby
is that the American game has failed
to reform itself.
Lack of training and poor physical
Of danger in the game. 1t is still true
that inter-class games, inter-frater-
nifty games, pCst-seasOn games and
nigh school football are the chief con-
tributors to the accident list. On the
principle of rigidly eliminating danger.
favor the abolition of all inter-class
and inter-fraternity and post-season
games. For the high schools L would
favor the substitution of association
or soccer, unless the high school has
fully developed department of physical
education, and careful and competent
supervision and training are possible.
Even where the most favorable condi-
tons prevail, / think association foot
ball should be developed in the Ameri-
can high school, because it appeals to-
a larger number of students, and many
will participate who could not qualify
in the present game
American colleges and advanced
American high schools have shifted
their educational interest from football
games, and all intercollegiate athletic
contests, to the exercises of the gym
nasium and the outdoor sports and ac-
tivities, by which the college is en-
deavoring through it's development OF
physical education to promote the gen.
eral health of the average student. The
educational interests represented by
intercollegiate football or baseball are
so slight as to be practically negligible
The students that play football do not
particularly need this physical exercise
and are not specially benefited by it.
On. the other hand, the students that
need exercise and physical deve.opmt
do not, and for the most part, cannot
play football. Accordingly football ard
intercollegiate athletics in general are
not important developmental agencies
in any American university or college.
1.-The interest which the colleges of
the Northwest seem to take in the out
come of intercollegiate games is not
an educational interest. Except for the
fact that % college students are en-
gagged in the play, game Of football
lies as far outside the field of purely
educational interest as does automobile
racing The work of the department of
physical education, on the other hand.
in developing the general health of the
student body through Instructions in
hygiene, gymnasium work and outdoor
exercise, is an important subject Of
educational interest,
at Is more than doubtful whether
the future of football is not receiving
portion of the attention that should
be devoted to educational agencies for
L. -