The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-27
NEW FOOTBALL WILL
SOON BE UNDERSTOOD
Not Hard Grasp and the T is One of Memory Rather thar
of Disc rnment.

Footballs hold on the public can
not be better demonstrated than by
the fact that yearly those who love the
game are willing to learn Ii all over
again.
Baseball. cricket. tennis and other
sports with big following undergo
only the most minor changes.
The most radical alteration in base
ball in years was the adoption or the
foul-strike rule, and that was uniIn-
portant in effect as compared with
the alterations that take place In the
gridiron code every year. ~
Ii Is not the wish of the rulemakers
that brings about this constant chang
ing. Tampering with the rules has
been in every case forced by public
opinion. The natural agitation result
Ing from an increasing number of
deaths and serious accidents has com
PEELED corrective measures IL the game
was to survive.
Hence the yearly upheavai In the
rules and consequent need of going
to school to understand the game.
This years changes go further than
ever: yet il is the Judgment OF the
writer. after seeing the Penn-Ursinus
game of Saturday, that spectators
are not going to find 1t hard to I'M
derstand the new game.
The test will be one of memory
rather than of discernment Every
thing will be so open that ANYBODY can
see.
For instance, the average man In
the stands will not find ii hard to tell
when a tackle has been unfairly made.
when the man pulling down the run
ner has had both feet off the ground.
Nor will he be unable to detect the
helping by pushing and hauling that
Is barred by the rules.
Changes I'm Forward Pass.
A forward pass cannot go more than
twenty yards beyond the lire OF scrim-
mage. A kick must go twenty yards
beyond the line of scrimmage before
the attacking side is onside and can
recover the ball. the tumble being an
exception, of course.
A flag placed in the field on the line
twenty yards from the scrimmage
makes II easy for the spectator to
grasp these points. The player re-
ceiving the ball may advance IL with
out having IL first handled by q quar-
terback.
There is nothing confusing in this
regulation. and the fact that he can
go through any part of the line. and
does not have to run Ave yards out
will make matters easier for the spec
tators TO understand.
The forward pass will be more In
telligible. In previous years tho
crowd often rose to cheer what, seem.
ed to be a legal forward pass. only
to find out that 1t had not crossed the
line of scrimmage five yards from
center.
This was notably the case in the
Michigan game OF 1907. when the Ann
Arbor crowd went crazy over Magof-
fms apparent touchdown from a for
ward pass, which would have tied the
score II allowed.
Many of these points. which were
clouded In doubt until the decision of
referee was rendered will now in
stantly be grasped by the reasonable
attentive spectator.
Therefore. instead OF confusing the
spectator. the new rules are going to
help him.
Little Time Out For Injuries.
Another gratifying feature OF the
new game Is the fact that virtually
no time will have TO be taken out for
injury. 1t used to be intensely try
ing. under the old conditions. es-
pecialiy on cold day. to sit and watch
players roll around the ground, while
doctors gathered around. trainers
made expert comment, rubbers sous
ed water on the uhfortunates and
fellow players walked them around
unit, damaged Wind returned This
was tough on the spectator. without
taking into account the suffering Of
the victim.
the new game win move almost