The Washington times., 1917-12-23
Want Sport in Wartime.

duce some patriotic funds II is going
TO have hard shedding, I fear.
Want Sport In Wartime.
We will want sport during this war.
but the longer the war continues the
greater will. be our demand that it be
for patriotic purposes. Witness, for
example, the recent action OF the
National Lawn Tennis Association:
Tournaments are TO be held, but all
funds are to be used for patriotic
purposes. .s
That, take it, is the forerunner
Of what sport is TO be- during war.
There Is another feld-servIce sport.
We had ample proof of its worth this
past fall. Service football games, en-
tirely experimental, proved not only
highly entertaining, but very popular
with both public'and players
The army, navy, and. ambulance
teams gave a zest to camp life, built
up morale. tossed officer and private
together in a more intimate way than
otherwise would have been possible,
while various inter-service and ser
intercollegiate games not only raised
patriotic funds but served to increase
patriotism among civilians.
The finest sight / ever witnessed in
football was in the Harvard stadium,
December 8. when in the. heat Of q
football game between the First and
second Naval District teams both
elevens arose from their places, re-
moved their headgears and came to
attention when q band played The
StarSpangled Banner"
Another thing about such games.
While they no doubt served to keep
up an interest in football they proved
in addition that the fighting spirit
Of football is not a mere college rah-
rah matter but a very tangible thing.
II was present in these games. Old
varsity boys never strove harder for
victory or got so much fun out OF il.
And good feeling abounded.
wipes out Bitterness.
This is the kind Of sport We want.
II will do much TO wipe out the bitter
rivalry OF the past
just as II will do so much more to-
wards upbullding the morale and
fighting spirit OF our armies in Eu-
rope. !
The army and the navy are using
sport for this latter purpose and in
this kind Of sport We find a solution
to the problem OF what we are TO do
with our college trainers. coaches
and physical directors during this
war, especially IL the draft age Is TO
be dropped to eighteen or nineteen
years. The army athletic field is wide
open and demanding men in whole
sale quantities.
l recently talked with DR.. George T.
Fisher. in charge OF the Y. ". C. A.
physical work both in the Y. VI. c. AS
as well as in the army His office Is at
l24 East Twenty-cightlI street, New
York city. While men have been sent !
abroad in this connection and almost
three hundred and fifty have been !
placed in various camps in this country |
there Is urgent and immediate need for
many more.
What a splendid field. Here the
coach. the trainer and the physical di- |
rector is not limited 10 the tricks OF his |
trade alone. His duty is not only to |
and provide games and sport |
for the large groups under him, 1t is not !
only TO keep the army physically fit
which the army is well able TO do itself
but the work is TO prepare all TO play |
the awful game Of war in the same |
splendid spirit and with even greater |
morale than have the championship |
teams each coach has helped |
develop in the past. Here's a bigger /
Job than winning big football games or
so called championships. a job that has
The backing OF the army, too, and n job /
that needs the active support OF those
men who are best able to I'LL il.
Copyright, 1917, by Sol MetZger)