Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-02-12
FULTZ DEFENDING FOOT BALL
Brown Graduate Makes Reply to Dr..
Clurman's Tract.
GAME A CHARACTER BUILDER
Exponent Of Gridiron Declares Train.
tina e. Aid 90 Civilisnuon-EIc-
ment Of DanEer ExsRserated
says Lawyer.


NEW YORK. Feb ll.--"who in the world
is Or. Clurman. anyway" asked Dave
Fultz. who graduated from Browns foot
bali team in time to rival big bill Ed
wards at the greatest game we have-thc
greatest outside OF the professional renks,
in which base ball takes first place.
why Mr. Fultz. the doctor is one Of The
local physical experts who is tryins to toll
us that foot ball is a naughty game. lie
objects to roughness in any foIm. and says
that the game should be stopped
The doctor has Just published a tract.
in which he gives a list Of the fatalities
for the last year putting it at nineteen.
Not being satisfied with that, hesssys that
no less than 400 foot bail play ers sustained
serious injuries. DIT Morris Joseph Clir-
man insists that his list is corroct-vnl is
there one who will doubt It?
Yes David comes to The front with his
ideas Of the game and they are entirely In
contradiction Of the statements made by
the doctor.
Says he in absolute contradiction cf the
doctors statement to the effect that a stop
should be put to foot ball because Of its
causing so many deaths Not as many
lives, proportionatsly, are lost through foot
ball as are cancelled by bathing, skating
boating and such sports.
Minor injuries are reported in minute
details by this doctor, but how many Young
men are harmed by such injuries? When
the doctor says that 400 serious injuries
were sustained during 1910 he surely is nm
able to prove the statement, Probably he
counted every bang-up recorded in 5he
~
account every slight injury reported. and
the probability is that half of them were
only slight hurts, gained by unframed and
uncoached men.
There will always be an element Of
danger in the game of foot ball" continued
Fultz, "but this acknowledged element is
what makes the fight worth while. II the
danger Of injury is proportionately greater
than in other sports it should be abolished,
but this is not the case.
"Dr. Clurman states that there is another
element in the game OF foot ball upon
which the medical man is particularly
competent to act as final authority, and
that Is the element Of fatigue and exhaus-
ton and then goes on to state that over
trained foot ball players usually strain
their hearts beyond natural endurance
Nf'TODholg ne IeIeFb 10 magazine neIoes.)
There may be a grave question whether
or not the hard training leaves any man
in a weakened condition, but il it be so IN
some cases they are far outnumbered by
the cases where a mans whole physical
development is changed for the better be-
cause of this rugged exercise. have seen
retired players who had had bad shoulders
knees. ETC., which have bothered them
somewhat, but these things aren't going to
shorten their lives and / have seldom seen
men who were sorry that they had played
at the game" went on Fuirz
Gle says the gridiron is not conducive
to a high mental standing and that foot
ball players do not come UP TO the standard
in the studies. The doctor is wrong. Foot
ball is not to blame-there are dozens Of
natural causes that explain the proposition,
and can't believe that statistics will show
that the player is a poorer student than
others.
There are undoubtedly many temptations
/ to put your fist into an aggressive oppon-
ent when playing hard game Of foot ball,
but the true development of character
teaches men to resist temptation-not to
avoid It,
Give me a we'll trained foot ball player
and will show you a man who has ply
steal development and absolute control Of
his mental powers. All glory to the game
and the men who play itr' exclaimed David
Fultz as he slammed a bunch Of legal
papers into his desk and closed his shop
for the night.