Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-14
WITH THE COLLEGE ATHLETES
Doings in the Field Of Sport in East
and West.
GAMES USED AS COLLEGE ADS
Complaint of O-verdevotiOn 20 sports
Old Rowing Days Al Prince
~ spring Dual
Meets.

MGGNNa
A writer OF editorials for a Princeton
publication expressed the exception he took
not long ago to what some person down
at Virginia Polytechnic institute said about
the advertising effects OF the close foot
ball game between Princeton and Virginia
Polytechnic institute. The New Jerseyman
objected to the statement by the Virginian
that tho good fight put up by the Virginia
Polytechnic institute would tend to attract
many more students to the Virginia school.
IF his Is the spirit Of the Virginia Poly
technic institute the sooner 1t is eliminated
from our schedule the better was the
idea OF the Princetonian.
This sort Of thing leads naturally to a
discussion of the value Of athletics as ad-
vertisement and how far that ought to be
carried in schedule making. Members Of
alumni associations who wan to see their
college teams in action are the folks who
most often try TO attract such teams into
sections q distance removed from the more
immediate circle of rivalry. No only that,
but managers attracted by guarantees and
also by the opportunities Of giving trips
that will attract material are apt to ar
range contests that carry the teams rather
AdA away AIONH the nome LOWDs.
II is regarded as the function OF athletic
sports to advertise a college, however little
that may be either the intention or desire
Of those who have the college teams in
charge, whether directly or indirectly.
Whether a large institution would be justi-
fled in dropping from it's list a smaller one
that ~rejoices in the possible financial gain
to the administration because Of a good
showing, in foot ball say, is something that
outside the considerations Of anna
teurism or professionalism.
The college authorities do not generally
arrange the playing schedules for the
teams. The managers have to apply for
sanctions to meet certain opponents, but
this application is made after the prelimi-
naries have been arranged through the
managers. Therefore it cannot be said to
DO up to college authorities when an eff
fort is made by some partisan OF a team
to show that financial benefits would ac-
crue to the institution by having a team
of some sort in the field that would be
able to make a showing against a larger
one.
IL the college authorities did deliberately
arrange for such advertising schedules
there would be a grave question whether
the Institution would not be professionally
ing the members Of the teams in spirit.
This is a consideration that is involved
chiefly in the competing my smaller col
leges against the greater ones.
Advertising the College.
1t is debatable whether the athletic sports
at the larger institutions are not after
all as much advertising to them, right
along, as they are TO the occasional small
college which pulls out a victory or makes
a creditable showing against some larger
one. For instance-and here is something
about Princeton itself-when rowing was
strated down there certain persons rather
banked for the future Of squatics on the
reported intention of some lads from prep
schools such as st. Paurs, Concord. to
enter Princeton.
AS one man put il, Those boys from
st. Paul's who don't want to go to either
Harvard or Yale, but who have been
doing so because there is rowing at those
places. will come . princeton now because
they think we are going to have big doings
in Intercollegiate rowing" That was the
theory. and although the university had
no more to do with It than was the case
with V. P. l., there might be some objec-
ton by other institutions, too.
There is no doubt that proficiency in
athletics acts generally as a good adver-
tisement for institutions of learning.
From time to time universities or colleges
publish answers made by students to the
question. why did you come to x?"
Usually there is to be found in such an
swers a large percentage OF replies based
on athletic sports. So-an-so was trainer
there; -such-and-such a team won the
championship in what's this, in which the
schoolboy happened to be considerably
interested; or else INTERCHANGEABLE, a
we'll known athlete, more or less of a hero
among the set Of boys in the school this
lad attended. was at the Institution.
Some folks call these silly and puerile
reasons, but at the same time they ap-
plaud the case of sons boy who went to
x because his father and grandfather
went there before him. What was the
reason in the first instance? Probably in
those very early days when the lads
grandfather was a subfreshman athletics
was by no means a reason for entering
college, but there was something else In
the line of an attraction-it might very
well not have been studies-which sent the
ol~d-fashiohed lad to college.
If human nature has not altered, as
most folks will be fairly willing to be-
lieve, then the circumstances OF life have
changed; so what was the attraction then
TO Nhe sinai lau ana what FORMED the
grounds for his teasing his father to let
him to 80 to one college rather than another
probably was no more important then
than now Something else merely stood
in place Of the glamor Of athletics.
why They Choose n College
Il is hardly to be expected that a school
boy of the customary school age, when
boys are peculiarly alive to the athletic
influences. will be serious-minded enough
to select an institution solely because OF
its capabilities Of educating him. Such a
small boy might in most cases be called
safely a prig. OF course. there are many
ncnathletie youths who from the outset
are OF so studious a temperament that
they consider exercise and sports as not
only negligible. but a vicious waste OF
time, The average healthy lad whose
father is financially well enough off ia
send him 10 college goes for one or more
Of a variety OF reasons.
1t is hardly likely that he goes because
he has heard that X has q fine Greek
department or something like that, He
goes TO college for some less reason as a
rule and equally as a rule he finds him.
self after he has been in college a time
then after orientation he steers his course
we'll. This Is a common experience In col.
leges, as most instructors can testify.