New-York tribune., 1921-12-25
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young men each year IN every section
of the United States from Maine tc
California.
The game has fourished tremen.
dously within the last decade But the
season that has just closed eclipsec
them all in every respect. Attendance
records everywhere were shattered. Ir
fact, so great was the demand fol
tickets for the big games at the larger
universities that the authorities oI
tfose institutions are row planning
how to accommodate their patrons ir
future seasons. For it is obvious that
the interest in the game is growing
with tremendou rapidity
Just which cause is mostly respon.
sible for the great interest in the game
it is hard to say. Several reasons OF
causes can be named, but the one gen
orally conceded to be the basis is the
open game. BY the open game is
usually meant the forward pass.
This point has been discussed in the
last several seasons, but the discussion
IS worth reviewing if only for the ef-
fect 1t has had upon the game.
Pass Protested at Outset
1t will be recalled that when the for.
ward pass was first introduced the
main-liners, the pet-baggers, stand
patters, conservatives or whatever Won
Will protested strenuously. Thev de.
clared such an innovation would ruin
the game; that it would turn q fine
game into basketball frolic; that the
game would lost all of it's vigorousness
and popularity and would quickly die
an nglorious death.
Nothing OF the sort happened. The
pass, instead of sitting the growth of
the game, acted as a tonic or stimulant
and was the cause of it's rapid develon-
ment.
This is what the forward pass or
open game in football did.
!. 1t gave the smaller college a
better chance of meeting the larger
universities on an equal footing and
thereby increased the interest in the
game.
2. 1t decreased the liability OF IN
jury to an insignificant proportion.
= 1t turned game of beef and
Drawn into contest which required
player to use his brain as we'll as
his physique.
Gradually the smaller colleges drew
up to level with the larger fellows.
If the heavier elevens stopped the
running attack of the lighter teams,
the latter could always and did resort
to the overhead game. Thus, instead
OF three or four first class teams.
twenty or more in this section of the
country alone were playing the game.
Some Of the larger universities re-
fused to take up the forward pass as
part OF the science of football and
used IL only to gamble with. On the
other hand several eevens went to
extremes in using the pass and forgot
al! about running attack. None of
these got anywhere.
Many Teams Use Combination
The majority, however. made pood
use of both departments of the game
And the teams that combined the two
scientifically stood out above all of
the others.
The past season saw a return to the
running game by many of those eleyens
that did nothing else much but forward
pass. 1t also saw the conservatives in
corporate the forward pass as n inte-
grail part OF their game. The radicals
OF both sides are now convinced that
there is something in each game and
that the combination is the best kind
OF attack.
The team. to our way of thinking,
that displayed the best all around
game of the year, was Notre Dame. Of
South Bend. Ind. The Hoosiers with