The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-14
COLLEGES TAKE STAND
REGARDING S. l. A. A. REGULATIONS
University of Alabama Publication Gives Opinion Present
Rulings and Calls Students to Investigate Conditions
Says Need of REVISION in Present Rulings is
Undisputed Fact
ny CHARLES W. GREER

For the past several weeks the writer
has had an article in each Sundays Age
Herald, bearing upon the inefficiency of
the existing Southern intercollegiate Ath-
letic association regulations with regard
to their stpulations concerning summer
baseball playing by S. l. A. A. athletes.
These articles have been written with but
one purpose in mind, and that was TO
endeavor to show to those interested that
the present system of regulations pur-
ported by the S. l. A. A. are inefficient to
existing conditions, and that the only way
by which clean athletics can be had
among our southern colleges is to have
a system of regulations strict enough to
bar professionalism for the colleges and
vet moderate enough to allow the conf
peting athlete to conform to them without
exacting from him absurd sacrifices.
When law is unable to be enforced by
authorities, when those coming under the
law are able, with a view of its unfair
ness to them, to violate it and remain I'M
punished, the law itself is at fault. There
is no gainsaying this proposition No
law whatever is much better than one
that can not be enforced for in the latter
case repeated violation tends to weaken
the power of the authority which makes
the law.
A Change Needed
When the writer made the accusation
that the present, laws of the S. |. A A..
regarding summer baseball were not be-
ing enforced--and he made this accusation
because ne was in position to know alb
solutely that his statement was true-he
did so. not that he wished to attack the
principles OF the S. L. A. A., but that
the interested public might see the real
situation in southern intercollegiate ath-
letics and bring pressure to bear to have
regulations formulated that would meet
existing conditions. He has no grudge
against the S. l. A. A. officials. Never
when competing upon an s. l. A. A. team
has his standing been affected by Them.
His one object was TO do all in his power
to bring about change of conditions that
would stimulate clean athletics among
the southern colleges.
The Present Situation
Frankly, the situation is this: A ma
jority OF southern college athletes believe
the regulations imposed upon them are
unjust They are aware of the fact that
they can violate them to a greater or less
degree without detriment to their eligibil-
ity. Since they are unable to raise their
voices in their own defense, their only
recourse, if they are unwilling to subject
themselves to the sacrifices demanded by
these regulations, is violation. Thus
these violations occur. Those writer's in
the south who claim that these violations
do not occur are totally in error. They
do occur, and not once since othe writer
started his articles has this fact been dis
puted by those In a position to know the
inside situation of southern athletics.
However, to make any progress in
changing these conditions the colleges
themselves must take a stand in the mat
ter. They are the ones most concerned,
and if the southern students will lnyes-
tigate the matter and stand behind their
athletes in requesting. more fitting regu-
lations. their actions viii do more toward
lettering these conditions than any others
concerned. This Is being done. Below is
copied an editorial from the football issue
OF the Crimson White, the weekly publca-
ton of the University of Alabama, dealing
with the matter. The stand taken by this