Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-10
geoW Begins to Play Big College Basket Ball Teams Next Wee


students to play for money II they wish
ed and not TO bar them from membership
| on other teams. In other words, they
argued In favor OF the Brown system.
where students are permitted to play the
game for money and are not debarred on
this account from membership on the
other teams.
|; This suggestion was made by a num-
sociation showed its wisdom In refusing
to consider such proposal and IN
adopting q set Of resolutions which aimed
to abolish summer base ball. Whether
or not the plan by which the association
hopes to accomplish this is wise or fool
ish, time alone will tell. In brief. this
play is to start q campaign Of education
among college men. students and profess
sors. and particularly among the schooi
boys. The association seems to think
ception OF the term amateur and that
students can be induced to consider any
violation Of It 10 as Intentionally. TO
those who are acquainted with the readi-
men agree to play base ball for money
this proposal looks extremely foolish.
Inere are SO many young men earning
their way through school and college
that very few Of them will refuse any
opportunity to earn twice as much money
Dy playing base ball as they can secure
from any other occupation.
1t seems like waste Of time for dele
gates to argue on whether or not wrong
Is committed by college men playing base
ball for money. That is not the question
II q college student wishes to pay his way
through q university or school by means
OF his base ball skill. that Is nobody's
business but his own. However, 1t does be.
come somebody's business when he wishes
TO play against men who play base bal
merely for pleasure.
The fundamental idea of all amateur
sport Is that the contest shall be even
and that each side will have an equal
chance to win. This is not possible when
the contest Is between two men, one OF
whom has gained extra skill and exper:
ence by making business Of the sport
ana the other who plays 1t merely for
recreation. There is no harm In college
students playing base ball or any other
sport for money. but II they do that they
SHOULD not expect to be candidates for the
Probably the greatest difficulty which
the n. c. A. A. has to wipe out summer
base bah Is the refusal of Yale. Pr nee
ton Columbia and Cornell to join this as
ISOLATION. Harvard and Pennsylvania are
the only members OF the former big six
to cast In their lot with the associat :on.
but neither institution does much more
than take part in the deliberations. Har-
yard has been more active in this than
pennsylvania. Yale. Princeton and Cor
nell have taken the stand that they see
no reason why they should Join the asso-
citation.
The writer has always maintained that
the surest way to break up the summer
base ball evil is either to bring about the
organization OF an intercollegiate base
ball association similar to the l. c. A. A.
letics. or to induce all the big universities
to 10 n the N. c. A. A. The trouble is
that summer base ball fiourishes just as
much at the big universities as il does
while one Of the b universities makes &
spasmodic effort to break up summer bass
ball. but 1t never has been more than
spasmOdic. A concerted act on by all,
with the enforcement of the present rules
regarding summer base ball for a few
years. would break up the evil perma-
nently.
Is the Training Table Necessarily
Another intercollegiate body has been
making use Of the Christmas holidays to
reopen the discussion Of the training ia
bic: The association OF physical directors
which convened in New York at the same
time as the N. c. A. A. discussed this
topic from every angle. 1t seems to be
the sentiment Of the men from the middle
west that the training table was not nec-
essary for the proper conditioning Of foot
ball or other teams. This view was
sounded by DR.. Raycroft. now Of Prince
ton, formerly the physical director Of the
University Of Chicago. DR.. Raycroft
based his conclusion upon the experiment
tried at Chicago and other middle western
universities, but not upon any results at
Princeton.
Those physical directors who represent
ed the eastern universities where the
training table has come to be a perma-
nent institution all contended for it's re-
tention. It was pointed out that particu-
larly for foot ball the training table was
an absolute necessity. This Is due to the
fact that so many students are obliged to
live In boarding houses where the food is
Inadequate for the strenuous training
which foot ball necessitates.
To Boom intercollegiate Soccer.
One of the best things which the Ma
tonal Collegiate Athletic Association has
done was its appointment of a special
committee to take charge Of association
foot ball in the colleges. Within the last
few years this sport has had more rapid
development than any other in the history
OF college athletics. It has taken hold at
practically every university, college and
preparatory school in the country. and
now that spectators are beginning to un-
derstand the game 1t promises to become
q serious rival to some Of the present ma
tor sports.
The association is not endeavoring to
boom this game as an opponent Of Amer
lean foot ball, but 1t is acting on the belief
that there Is plenty of room for the de-
rugby foot ball is such a strenuous sport
that participation in 1t is limited largely
to men Of physique better than the aver
age. Association foot ball. on the con-
trary, appeals to all classes Of students
AS helpful exercise 1t probably has no
equal In the field of college athletics. and
this new move on the part Of the n. c.
&C. - ~ L.