Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-22

sport for cultiyating a spirit of loyalty
to the college. He condemns it both
Tor initiating against the proper ply
steal development of the student body
and for causing the college to be ex-
plotted by its friends in the matter of
public Spectacles which are wholly
foreign to its purpose.
DIR. Linton claims that the varsity
teams take up all the available playing
spaces, thus preventing the other stu
dents from exercising, and that the in
terest created by these same varsity
teams causes the other students to get
their sport by proxy. Of course, Dr.
Linton takes rap at intercollegiate
sport on the ground that it fosters
gambling DR.. Linton is particularly
anti-i intercollegiate football. DR.. Linton
also writes:
S. and although l am fully con-
WINGED that intercollegiate athletics,
especially intercollegiate football, as
at present conducted in this country,
has little to commend it to the edu-
Gator, recognize an obstacle when /
encounter it, and waste no time in
butting my head against it. |
should be opposed to the college with
which my fortunes are cast undertake
present policies unless it is done in
concert with other Institutions with
which the college has athletic rela-
tons"
In a published protest many years
ago DR.. Linton ventured to remark
that it was within the power of the
Carnegie Foundation to bring about a
greatly needed reform in the manage
ment of intercollegiate athletics. AS
the Carnegie Foundation is reported to
be about to make such a survey, DR..
/ Linton evidently believes the outlook
is fine.
Fine for what? In Dr. Unions crit
icism he blames intercollegiate ath-
letics for using all the. available play
ing spaces at college. At w. and j.
there is one football field. Were the
varsity team disbaDded and the field
i turned over to the use of the student
body | am quite certain that, as is
now the case, but one game could be
played on it at time. Surely such
action would get no more students in
sport. In fact, should such action be
taken by the educators at w. and j.,
or elsewhere, would it not also give
encouragement to gambling? Surely,
students would not resist such a fine
chance to win. They might gladly
take all Corners that only one game
| could be played on one field at one
| time. Likewise they might welcome
the chance to bet that only one bas-
ketball game at time could be played
on the available floor space for basket
ball the college possesses.
| Then there is the other criticism
! that varsity teams are picked in ad-
| vance and thus competition is sti1ed
| that too few get the benefits of exer-
| else incident to the developing of these
| team. Again let us answer DR.. Linton
! by presuming; that the varsity team is
| done away with and that some other
| team is to play on the one field or in
door court available at the college we
have in mind. Would this team per-
nit of more students getting exercise ?
| And if this team was not handled by
some sort of a leader would it get a
corresponding benefit from its play
| that the varsity now gets?
Most of the criticisms of intercolle-
| giate sport fail to offer anything con-
structive. There is usually lacking q
far-sighted view of sport and its pur-
| pose, even among educational leaders
And as 1 read these criticisms and
| ponder the subject, the belief comes te
me that in the end we may yet view
those students who go in for intercol-
legiate sport, especially the very alb
sorbing riety-intercollegiate foot
, ball--as boys who are making a per-
| sonal sacrifice.
We are coming to a sane view Of
sport. The war is bound to be a bis
factor in bringing it about That sant
view will put it up to the educators tt
make good in physical education. L
there is now but enough playing space
at the colleges for the use of only one
| team of each major sport, it would
seem to indicate that our educator!
have fallen down on the big and vita
job of equipping their plants with thu
necessary tools with which to bulls VI
the physical side of, the undergradu
ates, which view makes for contrast
and antagonisms, matters that get twt
sides, working for a common purpose
nowhere.
The reason why l say we may com,
| to look upon our college athletes a.
boys who are making a sacrifice il
that they must be the foundation upol
which me may build the structure
which mean sport for all To equip
college properly for physical cultur
means a large expenditure of money
Now that money has not been raise,
by endowment. It therefore looks lik
a case of earning it.. No practical plal
|
than the varsity team. The team tina
in its big games brings undue empha
sis upon a phase of college life whicl
should be incidental to it, so we heal
Already the army is showing tn
way. One of the finest military camp
in America today is Camp Sherman
Ohio. 1t has ample athletic equipmen
because a whole state is working TO
its welfare. Now the people of tn
state of Ohio are not any more patri
otto than those Of other states Tha
is not the reason. The reason is tina
Camp Sherman has gone in for wha
t in college athletics would be terme
l public spectacles foreign to the pur
pose"
Camp Sherman's football team visit
ed various cities in the state last fal
: played various college elevens, an