Evening journal., 1909-11-16
DANGER YET
In FOOT BALL
Change in Rules Has Not
Made NeCkS And Limbs Safe

Lovers Of the American game of foot
ball have had ample time to see how
the various changes made in the rules
have effected the game this season.
and if they do, as intended, insure the
safety of the gridiron warriors. Open
play does not present itself to the
mind half as dangerous as the mass
pay When you think Of the former
you see a man, separated from his
teammates and opponents. attempting
to catch the ball thrown his way. The
other gives you far different mental
picture. You can see a mass of human
beings. pushing, struggling and stril1-
ing against each other and finally fall
ing in heap with the person having
/ the ball on the bottom. If you did
not stop to consider you would inn
mediately say:
why, Of course the new style Of
playing is safer than the old fashioned
game OF line-plunging where brute
strength was always the victor"
In saying this you would be sadly
mistaken. The dangers I'm football are
just as great to-day as ever they were
and win continue just so long as the
game is played The elimination Of
danger from any sport where athletes
hurl themselves at each other is out
of the question. Accidents are liable
to occur in any branch Of athletics,
and ii so happens that football is claim
ing q double share this season.
A dozen or more victims have al
lready been claimed for the mere love
of the sport and. before the season
closes more deaths probably will oc-
Icur. There Is no remedy. Any can
did football enthusiast will tell you
that open play has not had tho slight
est effect in decreasing the dangers
of the sport. In fact the accidents have
been more numerous since the institu-
tion Of the forward pass than ever be-
fore Tho only way to eliminate dan
ger in football is TO do away with the
sport entirely. and until this is done
broken limbs and deaths will occur
there being no possible way Of prevent
ing such accidents as that at West
Point, which cost Cadet Byrne his life
II has been stated above that there
is more danger in the forward pass
than there ever was in mass plays, and
it win be endeavored to make clear
the reason a player going into o
mass play knows what is coming and
has time to prepare himself before the
final signal TO plunge is given. All he
has TO do is to stiffen his neck, bend
, his head and dash into the line. It Is
! practically an impossibility 20 twist q
, mans neck while IN this position. lie
may get cut and bruised by the fall
but his neck and spine are not IN
danger.
1t is altogether different with mar
going after a forward pass He has &c
/ watch the ball which Is thrown to him
and his neck and spine are twisted
while he Is running. If suddenly tack
A., led and thrown 10 ground he Is liabl,
to snap or twist his neck The player
who does not keep his head down anc
his neck stim is i'm continual danger
and may at any minute be thrown foi
] his last down. Not only is there dan
ger OF breaking the neck, but also OF
fracturing the skull. If "a player runs
with his head high i'm the air is sud-
: denly thrown. his Uranium Is bound to
strike the ground with considerable
force. whereas. had his head been low
his padded shoulders would come in
contact with the ground instead
Rules to prevent accidents TO a GER
tain extent were worked out, but the
rule makers evidently did not think of
he danger attached TO the forward
pass The plays calling for the lines
men to take a position with the backs
were cut out and the forward pass in
stituted This was intended 10 keep the
bah in the open, and by scattering the
players over the field. prevent injuries
from violent mass plays. The worthy
gentlemen who made these rules had
them framed with good Intentions and
certainly did increase the games popu-
'arity. They made it much better for
he spectator. who, before the open
play was used. thought the game a
rather jumbled up sport They did not
accomplish their object. however. and
failed to do away with a particle OF
danger In fact they did not abolish
mass plays one mite and they can be
played under the present rules with
as much danger as they could under
the old ones.