Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-25
Bv Cole MORGAN.

~ OUTHERN football schedules,
-, taken as whole, are pretty
much joke, because of the
haphazard way in which the ath-
letfc authorities OF the universities
and colleges go about making them.
This is strikingly true in two par
ticulars The schedules are not
made with the idea OF positively
determining The Southern cham
pionship and with the idea of
bringing the season TO q close on
Thanksgiving day with matches
that would prove the best drawing
cards Of course. there are a few
exceptions to the latter point but
they serve all the more forcibly to
emphasize the argument that there
should be change by showing
what could be accomplished If all
colleges acted with the same idea
in view.
For years-eyer since the South
has had intercollegiate football
each college has gone about maxi
ing its schedule independent of all
the others, and it has been pretty
much of grab-bag proposition for
managers to get the games really
wanted. Where one date would be
acceptable to one team it would
not to the other, and both would
have to accept an unsuitable date
~. 1pt tho match yo nv
A Bad Arrangement.
Before one season is cold the
managers begin signing contracts
for the next one. Just about the
tine the schedules are made up
the Christmas holidays come
around. During holidays the South
ern Intercollegiate Athletic assoc
citation holds It's annual winter
meeting. At this every college
holding membership in the associa-
ton is represented. Some school
prefers charges against another
and the offender is suspended. But
maybe several managers have made
next years dates with the culprit
That means every one OF those
games must be cancelled and the
dates filled in with whatever there
is to be had. The schedules, con-
sequently are unsatisfactory.
A striking example of this was
two or three seasons ago when
Tennessee was suspended after its
three most successful seasons in
football history. Georgia, Tech,
Vanderbilt, Sewanee, Alabama and
others We're affected then and had
to revise their next seasons dates.
The real sensible thing to do
would be for all colleges belonging
TO the S. l. A. A. to put off their
notwithstanding until the S. I. A.
A. holiday meeting and send their
managers ana coaches along to it
with the faculty representatives. A
general schedule meeting could be
held by these officials in connection
with the :. I. A. A. gathering and
a all contracts could be arranged
personally between the Representa-
tives OF the teams that were to
meet each other. It would save a
world OF useless preliminary nego-
tiations and confusion ana would
permit the making Of schedules
that would settle the champion
ship.
Now as to the THANKSGIVING
games. Every team wants to make
as much clear money as possible
out Of the Turkey Day exhibitions.
To do that they should arrange
games that would best draw the
crowds and match teams that
would not eat up the profits in
railroad fare for long jumps.
These games should be between
rival teams within Il state. There
is nothing in the Tech Clemson
game to draw 5000 outside people
from over The state to Atlanta. But
Georgia and Tech would bring
10000 football fans here from ev-
cry part Of the state. \ bare hand
full OF Tennessee eaus 60 down to
Birmingham to see Tennessee and
Alabama meet, bur thousands
would so there from ali over Ala
bama 20 see Alabama ana AubIru