Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-23
YA[E'S STADIUM
To Be A CORKER
Athletic Association Has
100000 in Bank Ready
to Begin Work.
By Edward b. Bushnell.

10 seat 10000 people. and the consequent
denial of the Yale authorities do not
necessarily affect the real plans of the
ELS 1t merely means that the guessers
hit on the wrong plot of ground as the
location of Yales vast athletic amphi-
theater. That Yale will build such a
stadium. and that it will surpass in mag
nificence, cost and seating capacity any
in the college world. is an absolute fact
For il the Yale Athletic Association has
been annual! laying aside a big pro-
portion Of its athletic profits, and now
has something like $4,000 in the bank
for this purpose.
Strange TO relate. there is class of
Yale graduates which object to the con-
struction of this stadium. When an
nouncement was made in the Yale Alumni
Weekly several months ago that Yale
had such a plan in view. not a few
graduates wrote in letters of protest
against the expenditure OF so much money
for such project. The burden of their
complaint was that the application Of
much to athletic purposes was overem-
phasizing the athletic side of the
students life. But protests of this nature
can have little weight with Wales au-
thorities educational or athletic.
The class of men who oppose an athletic
stadium is made up of these who have
not kept pace with the progress of
modern college athletics. Making the
physical development of the student of
proportionate importance with his mental
progress has excited not only great under
graduate interest in athletics. but it has
aroused public interest in the same
measl
The most potent argument in favor
Of the construction of the proposed
stadium is found in the experience of
the last Yale-Harvard game at New
Haven. BY erecting temporary stands
wherever possible the management was
able to seat -. 900 persons. This seems
like a huge crowd. but when it is re-
called that all these $1,000 individuals
represented only the graduates and UNI
dergraduates of Yale and Harvard, with
few of their dear friends or relatives.
and all sold weeks in advance, the claim
IF the outside public for some considera-
ton assumes considerable Importance. On
top of this comes the statement that last
year the Yale management had to refuse
requests for tickets from some or the
graduates of the two universities.
If the Yale stadium as planned. pro-
vides seats for $4,000 persons. It may not
be filled very often, possibly not wholly
filled for Few years, but at the rate
Yale is turning out her hundreds of grad
yates every year. and the intense hold in
athletic rivalry is taking ON
the student body. it will not be many
years before the capacity of the stadium
is taxed.
Yale is evidently determined to profit
by the example of Pennsylvania, which
was the first big university of the east to
construct a large athletic stadium. FRANK
lin Field was built to accommodate 10000
on three sides. the fourth side being taken
up with gymnasiums. On the occasion
of the ArmyNavy game the authorities
have been accustomed to increase the
seating capacity to 5000 by temporary
seats. The amphitheater could have been
built to seat so 600 by arranging the seats
at sleeper incline and running them
higher. Each year ii is becoming in
creasingly difficult to take care of the
crowds. especially those that wish 10 at
tend the Army Navy game. and the
Pennsylvania authorities probably wish
that they had used more forethought in
the construction of their stands.
Princeton is evidently destined TO con-
tinue to have her stadium difficulties. The
Tigers have but one game in two years
when they require extra seating capacity,
that being when Yale plays in Tigertown.
Princeton has no permanent stadium and
is obliged each fall to construct tempo
rary wooden stands. The small financial
profit from the Princeton foot ball
season and the isolated location of the
surmountable obstacles to the erection of
stadium at Princeton Harvard has
solved her stadium problem with what is
probably the finest amphitheater i'll the
country. Its principal dra Wback is that
it has no gymnasium. insufficient training
quarters and is located q long distance
from the university. In this respect
Franklin Field of the University of Penn
sylvania is the finest equipped athletic
field in the east. for the gymnasium and
the training quarters are within the field
which is less than fye-minute walk
from any part of the university.
Syracuse University is already equipped
with splendid stadium, gymna stun and
other facilities. while Cornell is construct
ing a splendid field at Ithaca. Cornell is
beset with many o. the same difficulties,
though the 1thacans financial prosperity
Is assured by the Pennsylvania game at
Philadelphia and the Harvard game at
Cambridge.
Western Athletes Supreme.
These athletes from the Pacific coast
who carried off the point trophy of the
y. a. L, championships at Seattle week
ago have reason to feel congratulated
for their victory over the east. IT is true
that the east had a small representation,
but the men who did so We're of high
caiber and on this account many critics
expected them to win anyhow. The
Seattle A c.. with forty-siX points, and
the Olympic Club of San Francisco, with
thirty points easily outscored all the
other competing clubs.
To show that the west actually de-
served its title one needs only to exam
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