The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-11

Only rules that can be automatl-
cally enforced, whose violations are
matters of record, will be effective in
curing an intolerable evil of which
many, If not all of our colleges are
victims. il not participants. Upon
such rules the Southern Intercolle-
giate conference Is building. with the
hope of curbing present tendencies
and attaining. not perfection, but that
irreducible minimum of athletic eva
sion and violation which. like hazlng,
cheating on examinations and other
college evils. will stil be with us
when Gabticl's trumpet blows.
What are these necessary rules:
First-The one-year residence rule
for all incoming students.
Seconu-fhe three-year playing
limit.
Thmd-Prevention of a player rep
resenting more than one college dur
ing his athletic career.
Fourth-The Today DIFFERENTIATION
iule.
enforcement of college en-
trance standards.
Sixth Enforcement of proficiency
standards in class work.
Standardization of students
playing summer baseball to the
dIHOuHl O1 TIT bAPtuSSb hA~ASh W tiN
Amateur Athletic union and prohib-
iting playing on regularly organized
professional teams.
With these seven rules, all of which
except the last, our faculties can with
certainty enforce If they will the new
conference can expect, not an athleuc
millennium, but an abatement of those
serious troubles which do now affiict
us, can hope for relief from that mu
tual suspicion so injurious to- the IN
terest of amateur sport. and so I'M
dermining to the cordial relations
which should exist between colleges
that meet as rivals not as enemies
upon the athletic field of COMPETE
ton.
One Year Rule
The one-gear rule prohibiting the
student from playing within year
Of his entrance into college will give
che faculty an opportunity 10 test him
out on the griddle of the college cur
ricula to see whether he is bona
fide student, or merely a ringer,
masquerading as u student. 1t Will
surely discourage, If not prevent, |
those enthusiastic friends who are
prone to bet on the games, from in
vesting their money in players who
cannot perform on the gr1diron until
the faculty has had fair chance for
a whole year to see how they perform
IN the elassoom.
Three Year Limit
The three-year limit will prevent
men from returning after gaduatlon
on the petext of taking grad
uate work, when in reality their pur-
Jose is to play football. Against this
pactice the S. l. A. A. has no effective
"a taly ar
vantage now enjoyed by colleges and
universities which have professional
departments of law, medicine and the
like, over colleges not maintaining
such post graduate work. With the
one-year rule applying to all new stu
dents, the three-year limit is logi-
cal accompaniment, because it covers
the legitimate participation or any
estudent in undergraduate athletics
and puts all colleges on the same
footing.
Migratory Rule
The rule forbidding a player FROM
participating in intercollegiate attn I
letics in more than one college, a.
once deprlves those who are recruit
ing football ringers of their chief
source of supply. Furthermore, 1t
will effectually put stop to the spec
tacle of big colleges preying on small
ones. only once in a while, but I'M
happily somewhere almost every sea-
son, and often enough to bring down
public condemnation we see some
star" baseball or football player
under the "persuasions" of that in
invisible empire-which lies Just be-
yond the campus of every big college
with lots of rich friends and alumni
forsake the little college where he
has made his reputation and to which
he owes his service. to take course
which all of a sudden he discovers is
not included In the catalogue of his
first love. 1t has been said that, Hell
hath no fury like woman scorned,
and 1t can be said with equal truth
that hell holds no bitterness like that
of the small college whose star
player has been soduced away to-
wear the gaudy colors OF larger
rival.
The 15-day time limit on matricula-
ton. the present admission standard
of Is units, or full college entrance
requirements. and the requirement d
satisfactory classwork, are laws that
nave been we'll tried out In the 5. L.
A. A. and fully Justified by their re-
suits.
Permitting summer baseball play
ers to receive only expenses up
to the limit fixed by the Amateur
Athletic union, while not an ideal So
luton of the perpleXinS summer
baseball problem, will at Toast pre-
serve the semblance of regard for
amateur standards generally raeog-
nized the world over.
Emphasia on Football
It Is pity that so much emphasis
PANthQll~-tlAt SuC-
cessful elevens seem so vital TO inc
interests of a college. but we must
take things ms we find Thorn, and not
altogether as would have them.
considerable section OF the pubic
knows little, and cares less, about
the curriculum OF oollose ana ite
standards of admission--sad,Nbu t true.
They have little inclination, and no
means of Judging fairly of the et-
flciency OF the college teaching. They
Judge the unseen by the seen-the un,
known by tho known, good footpaii
tam 10 something they are able 10
annreeiata and appraisel and whether
we like it or not, a great many people,
In u measure at least, form their esti-
mate of a college by it's athletic sue
cesses on gridiron and diamond.
The public press is largely respon-
sible, though not to blame, for TINS
undue emphasis this tendency to .ex-
alt what should be purely incl
dental to a eoiiese education into the
thing of chief coacern, the daily
press plays up these giaditerial com
bats and keeps silent about our cur
ricula and teach facilities, simply be-
cause the one is news and the other
"haint."
But wonder if we college officers
ourselves do not put too high ap
estimate on newspaper ravings ana
the antics of college crows that go
mad at the football games, and for
get the vast majority of people back
homen who care not rap whether