The Washington times., 1921-10-26

The snug complcency Of the East.
ern football fan has always irritated
the Westerners. Occasionally q great
team springs up In the middle West
and revives the intersectional argu-
ment, but only In the last year or
two have the schedule-makers pointed
toward a real test. such as was staged
at Princeton last Saturday.
Western boasts have always been
met by Eastern self-esteem and ex-
pressed conviction that Eastern foot
ball Is superior because OF the heavy
enrolment of students at the big
Eastern schools, the flow of expert
enced prep school material to this sec
ton, the development Of elaborate
coaching systems and the huge sta
diums which provide revenue to meet
the costly upkeep Of football and
other sports.
How Fan Figures It.
This theory is strengthened by the
fact that many Western men are to
be found on Eastern teams, while
few Fasteners go West to school.
The average Eastern football fan has
an idea that the colleges of the mid
die West reap their football msterial
from the corn and wheat fields of the
prairtes. while the Eastern institu.
tions grab their gridiron grist from
well-endowed prep schools and fresh
water colleges. This. he argues,
East absorbs material already well
advanced In football development.
This. in q measure, In true. but no
one section Of the country can monop-
oplize the crack football players, and
coaching in the West has long since
obliterated provincial lines. Many
former Eastern stars may now be
found teaching the young Western
football players how to shoot,
There is no need, therefore. to sbed
any tears over Princeton's honorable
defeat by Western eleven. The
University Of Chicago football squad
Is coached by Alonzo Stagg, Yale
man, who has lived in the West for
many years. The Maroons made a
good showing in their early games.
They came down to Princeton fired
by a spirit of conquest and confident
OF their ability to play sound foot.
the regulations of the Tigers.
Maroons Underraaed.
Princeton-and Eastern football fol.
lowers In general-made tho mistake
OF undertaking the Maroons. In a
vague way 1t, had been learned that
they were good, but then, of course.
they had been playing those corn.fed
teams
In the advance notices pennsd nv
football experts we do not remember
one that predicted victory for
Chicago even though the Tigers had
been sunk by the Navy a week before
There seemed to be no question that
Stages team would somehow be re-
pulsed by the Tiger team and the Tiger
spirit. Therefore the defeat was n |
shock. ....
Princeton, OF course, points" tn. |
ward the Harvard and Yale games. n
they can win the big games Ntheir |
previous lapses are forgiven. II is
considered bad football Judgment 10 |
lake the chance OF Gripping the stars
m the preliminary games and thus the |
ine-ups In these games are seldom as |
formidable as In one of the big
Three" games.
Matter Of Pointing"
Chicago, however, has a harder
'chedule than the big Three" The
W Vestern conference includes nine col.
eyes and any one OF these teams can
sSpect at least five hard games, often
'nly week apart. There is no reason
o believe that Chicago pointed" at |
'rinceton In preference to Its own
,ig western rivals The Maroons
we're simply well drilled splendidly
'duipped with back field material and
'aught Princeton more or less crippled.
The cocky westerners, therefore.
'arved 30 much prestige off last years
that Princeton is already
'eine declared out OF the running In |
he East, although the Tigers have not
'layed any OF their big" games. The VI