The Washington herald., 1914-12-27
w alter Camp Says Soccer
Does Not Appeal to y. 5.
Expert Tells Of Shortcomings
ofEnglish Game and Why
1t Is Not More Popular.
WANT THE BEST EFFORTS

Though Walter Camp. the recognized
football authority OF America, is partial
to the American college game, his knoEI-
edge is by no means limited to that one
branch Of athletics. On the contrary. he
Is an interested baseball fan and Is thor
oughly familiar with all athletics inl this
country and a number which are the
''headlinefs" in foreign countries.
On the eve OF the Army-Navy game
Camp was discussing games in general
at the Bellevue tford Hotel. He was
asked what he thought OF soccer and the
chances for its becoming "a ranking
branch Of athletics In this country He re-
fused to commit himself fully on the sub
Ject but gave several reasons why the
game had progressed no further than
1t has. The main trouble with soccer" {"
said the gridlron expert. is that t. lacks
dehniteness. By that / mean that every
play made in soccer does not represent
maximum OF effort. You know that on
the soccer field the ball is often dribbIed
and many short kicks are made. Now
the average American wants 70 see every
play In game performed as though it
were the deciding one OF the game. For
instance, when a ball Is kicked in q foot
ball game the American spectator wants
10 see the longest kick that can be made.
He doesn't care to see the short kicks
that appear in soccer because they do
not represent the greatest effort
Il have seen many Of the big soccer
matches IN England and have been pres
ent when there were more people around
the field than there were In the Yale
bowl when Yale played Harvard. These
matches draw crowds because the people
are different temperamentaIly from US.
Another reason for the large attendance
ship soccer match can be seen for the
equivalent of = cents.
7 Americans want to see a game" Camp
continued. which Is played by men train
ed for that one event. They want to see
the best game that can be played. On
the other hand, the English people want
a game which any one can play with
little or no training. They do not care
to witness a contest in which they them
selves could not take part II the oppor-
tunity were offered.
In England the professional football
player does not take the long chances
which an amateur might take and which
IL taken in almost every play In the
American game. / once saw "A soccer
played by amateurs in which there was
young fellow playing for all he was
Eorth- On one occasion he threw him
s~d in front of a man who was about
TO kick the ball. He received the fun
blow Of his opponents foot, and in two
days from that time he died from peri
tonitis. Now. an American likes that kind
of a game where the players are con-
stantly taking chances, but the English
man does not care for IL particularly.
Few professional soccer players would
have taken the chances that that man
took They would, rather allow the man
TO kick the bail and make a goal. than
dive I'm where there was a chance for
injury. Such a chance as the one taken
by the player l have just been talking
about Is taken a hundred times a sea-
son by the American football player
That's why the people like the American
game and also shows why soccer is not
more popular.
Americans feel the same way about
the English game OF rugby. That. too.
lacks definiteness. and don't think it
couIG ever be very popular on this side. -