The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
Athletics Sure 10 Occupy.
 Prominent Place During War
Country Must Select Favorte Form of Sport for Wartime School and Club Sports Will Continue-Competition
 of Cantonments Certain to Flourish


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 proves beyond all doubt that this na- i tion is considerably off it's normal
 track. What then can we seize upon
 to aid in forming a conclusion as to
 what is to be done in college sport?
 The whole matter is held in abey-
 ance until the country makes a deci
 sion about the draft. If the age limit
 is lowered to IS or 19 years inter-
 co1legiate sport as we have known it in the past and as it was followed this year, is both a relic of the past and a hope of the future. It will close up shop. Indeed, most of the colleges will be forced to do likewise. Those which keep their doors open under
 such a condition will be those sup ported almost entirely by endowmen: or by appropriation
 But the question of continuing intercollegiate sport during war is not all a question of the minimum draft age There is the patriotic note the inability of alma mater or blood mother to prevent their sons under draft age from doing their bit' as the war increases in intensity. Young men under draft age of good red blood won't long keeps out. And col lege athletes have mighty good red blood
 WHAT KIND OF SPORTS?
 Then what kind of athletics are we to
 have? What part can our college athletic
 instructors play in the new world which
 war has created?
 Undoubtedly we will go ahead with our
 school and club sports What we do
 relative to professional sport, more par
 ticularly baseball, is not so vital mat
 tor. Professional sport. historically and
 as it now exists has rarely been fac
 tor in national physical preparedness
 H.. ts@., Dr4 relief from war strain and probably would produce some patriotic funds it is going to have hard sledding, I fear. We will want sport during this year. but the longer the war continues the greater will be our demand that it be for pa- triotic purposes. Witness, for example, the recent action of the National Lawn Tennis association: Tournaments are 1 to be held but all funds are to be used for patriotic purposes.
 That, I take it, is the forerunner of l what sport is to be during war. There i is another field-servce sport. We had l ample proof of it's worth this past fall. | Service football games, entirely experi-
 mental, proved not only highly enter l tainng. but very popular with both pub l hc and players. The army, navy and l ambulance teams gave a zest to camp l life, built up morale, tossed officer and 1 private together in a more intimate way | than otherwise would have been possible, | while various interservice and service- 1 collegiate games not only raised patriotic l funds. but served to increase patriotism l among civilians.
 THE PROPER SPIRIT The finest sight I ever witnessed in l football was in the Harvard stadium, De- i cember 8, when in the heat of a football l game between the First and Second 1 NT1.. -l;- ria+ ta,x .11 ] from their places. removed their head 1 gears and came to attention when band played the Star Spangled Banner" | Another thing about such games. | While they no doubt server to keep up I an interest in football they proved in ad- l dtion that the fighting spirit of foot ball is not a mere college rah-rah mat ] ter, but very tangible thing It was l present in these games. Old varsity boys never strove harder for victory or got so 1 much fun out of it. And good feeling abounded.
 This is the kind of sport we want It l will do much to wipe out the bitter inter | collegiate rivalry of the past just as it | will do so much more toward upbuildlng
 the morale and fighting spirit of our | armies in Europe.
 | The army and the navy are using sport | for this latter purpose and in this kind l of sport we find a solution to the prob i lern of what we are to do with our col 1 leeg trainers coaches and physical di- | rectors during this year especially if the | draft age is to be dropped to IS or 1g I years. The army athletic field is wide | open and demanding men in wholesale | quantities.
 MEN ARE NEEDED I recently talked with pr. George T. | Fisher, in charge of the Y. M. c. A. 1 physical work, both in the Young Men s i Christian associations as we'll as in the l army. His office is at 124 East 18th street, l New York city. While men have been | sent abroad in this connection and al- l most $50 have been placed in various 1 camps in this country. there is urgent and immediate need for many more. | What splendid field Here the coach, i the trainer and the physical director is | not limited to the tricks of his trade alone. His duty is not only to organize 1 and provide games and sport for the large | groups under him. it is not only to keep 1 the army physically fit-whch the army /, is well able to do itself-but the work is | to prepare all to play the awful game or 1 war in the same splendid spirit and with even greater morale than have the cham 1 pionship varsity teams each coach mas 1 helped develop in the past. Here's big ] ger job than winning big football games
 or so-called championships jom that l has fha ha plir1p of tha ar,,av tnn op,3 a