Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-12-19
GRID SPORT SPECTACLE
MORE THAN GAME-KELLY
ColOrful Crowd and Intense Rivalry
Integral Part of Game,
Snys Writer.
PROFESSIONAL GAME DRAB
Universal Service StafY Corrcspon-
dent Draws Dull Picture, Imag-
ming Yale and Harvard Playing
to Empty Bowl.
nr n. HOWARD KELLY.

Iniversnl Service Stan CorrcApondcnt.
new YORK. Dec. Is.-Strlke him
IN a frank mood and the strongest
supporter Of college football will adj
NIT mat IL Is more OF a spectacle than
i game.
Not that this admission beli,;le,
,he quality of the .game-not a trine!
~" game is al! that it's cracked up
spor,-toS..d girls with armfuis OF
mowers ana outhuvst OF college frenzy
are al the bottom OF It's appeal.
INA slne Yale and Harvard playing
10 an empty bowl!
Football. II 1t is any kind OF foot
pan at all. punches vital reactions
INTO the spectators. But stripped OF
d rs gaia ,iapp,ngs. The game is bit
na "p' nsauecd 10 CONTEXT between
pan fails short OF the game that col
!eEe spirit and rivalry have mad. IL
oo sYl 1"ese reasons It docan't seem
ever 10 compete successfully wi,S The
ciaSsic sport as we know it now.
mere are many things in the col
der the skin OF the football IAN and
"atn him 10 this kind of game For
instance. there Is certain desncra
,h iUi a tnst ne play OF the collegian
Innate and thrilling than thai ~
me paid player. The nre and non
o.n IN GSS.iese eisvens create fire and
pep mat make football what * IS
Lots Of people at a football pa,ro
nn, nm n.ow JUST what It's all about.
BIZ u' Ina, ,inI,. u1esn.t matter. They have a
H's ZINE shouting themselves boarsa
~ the general excitement Sn i,
p!aii to see that the football a,Is,n 30
coileesi Ihm nns 10 demand all that the
Now. uniess the professionally cama
IAN 90 all OF these things IL is eojne
r nn ha.d hill to climb.
Is mostiv ,o uope in its highest form
,ion OF comparisons. Every venn IA
e"uing teams are ranked according
y, -, me comparative data yielded bS
tionoi ,no An-American and sec
ing the records OF PLAYERS In Wv,
OF these facts IL Is not amiss IN snb.
S ,ra,h. my belief by comparative
flash back to the last NAVY
Tihsh and the game between Jim
INC, norpe team and the Buffalo outfit
t last saturday provides good material
'oT some practical comparisons
When the Army ana Navv ,ms, bo-.
held its FIJI of $4,000 peopie Thn
e rhrenG WAS agSog with song and
emotion worked in its vein. All ewes.
focused on the field of play durinr
'hird quarter. saw this:
S Al digging in on her eighteen
navy on her toes for the new attack.
sudden. tense silence over the
whole restless scene.
Signals!
Navy Navy backs sweeping full til.
Knot OF blue sweatered giadintors
contracting as the West Point de-
Iense smashed head on into the An
napolis attack. Suddenly a lone man
wriggling free of the swaying knot.
touchdown
F!fty thousand people in mighty
uproar. q goat. dragged up and down
d dne side SIDE lines against his win by two
than Bedlam turned loose in the Polo
Grounds.
So much for the Army Navy spec
sa Just one week later the
created quite a different Impression.
a colorless. voiceless gathering of
some 10000 people. curiously bent,
watched football game. cody and
tacle. Just becalmed crowd won
dcring when Jim Thorpe would un-
cork another flash OF his old-time
self-waitins on thrill.
"a I'm ta,, came me across again. He ripped
hela; There was much hand clapping
for his feat and some cheering, the
Kind fireman might expect to get
after mildly dangerous rescue.
got the same kind of reception. Not
an ounce Of emotion burst from the
stands
The spirit that makes college foot
pail fans blood run faster was not
there. Yet there was plenty of en-
Gelient playing. And this was New
fork's first real professional game.
as / said before. the college foot
ball enthusiast win admit that IL is
more OF a spectacle. more OF an out
burst of feeling. than n game.
mink he Is right. Dope 1t out for
yourself. The college man has shaped
inc game In such way that there
WI, always be q demand for cheer
leaders, megaphones and college
remnants as long as the game exists.
rms demand will continue to make
the game safe as the great school
classic of autumn
hut thinls back to that second round,