Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-30
VIOLATE SPIRIT
OF COLLEGE SPORT
Dr.. Richmond Says Measure Of
Football Team Is Made
Measure of institution
MONEY TALKS, HE DECLARES

New York, Dec. 3o.-Dr. Charles
Alexander Richmond, president Of
Union College, in speaking at the din
ner Of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association at the Hotel Astor last
night, said that one of the present
dangers of college athletics Is to make
them the main advertising medium of
the college and that unfortunately "the
measure of the football team is made
the measure of the college,
He sounded note Of warning against
the practice Of proselyting, scouting and
Indirect buying and insisted that the
sport Is in danger Of becoming a COM
petition In scouting where money talks
and not n competition in football.
In urging more sanity and n stronger
control of growing evils, DR.. Richmond
said In part:
II believe it is fair to say that
many college presidents are worrying
over the athletic situation in their re-
spcctive colleges. This does not mean
that they are opposed to athletics. Quite
are inclined to be too enthusiastic.
The Moral Side
There is one question which the
colleges and all who have their best in
tereSts at heart may well consider, and
that Is the high cost of football VIC
tories. mean not only the cost in
money, but in the surrender of the
higher academic interests, not to mem
tion the surrender of moral principles.
Il speak Of football because 1t is the
one distinctively college sport and the
one which arouses tho greatest enthu-
siasm. The more reason, therefore, that
We should keep 1t scrupulousy free
from every hint or suspicion Of pro-
fcssionalism. We cannot say that this
Is so. But n few of the most successful
teams may Re fairly. described as tech
nically within the law put grossly vio-
lating the spirit of college sport. The
temptation has been too strong.
stripped of all its CamOuhage the
proposition is simply this: The college
wants money; IL we can put together
a winning football team it viii help to
get 1t. The alumni want the college to
win and arc willing to pay to see it win.
Then follows what we are all familiar
with--the scouting, tho pcrsuading. the
proselyttng, the indirect buying; which
is so common that we are no longer dis
turbed by It. 1t becomes then not
competition In football but a competi-
ton in scouting where money talks.
ITO the innocent mind It Ia q mat
ter Of wonder how q college Of two or
three hundred can send team which
can defeat a university Of four or five
thousand without paying q price which
no institution dedicated to learning has
u right to pay. An editorial recently
appeared in one Of our metropolitan
dailics, entitled Football as National
Sport" Professional baseball Is na-
tional sport and one which We all enjoy.
1t is commercial enterprise, perfectly
legitimate and calling for no defense.
''If football is to be national sport
in any such sense let 1t be so and let
it be put frankly on professional basis,
as it Is in Great Britain. But that the
public shall demand that the colleges
shall turn aside from the purposes for
which they were founded and shall make
excessive sacrifices of the time and ener-
gy of their students and of their INTEL
lectual interests to provide Roman
holiday for the sport-loving public Is
something which the public has no right
TO demand and which no self-respecting
college has the right 10 consent to.
Keep Sport Clean
"The answer we should make to the
general public Is this: You are putting
too heavy n strain upon us. You are
asking OF us more than you have the
right to ask and more than we have a
right to give, and you are subJecting
the young men in our colleges ana the
bows in our schools to temptation
which they ought not 30 have to hear
and which Is good neither for them nor
for tho colleges. Football has place
and an important place IN srhooi an"
college life. We must see that it IS
kent in its place-above all, the lovers
Of the game must se1 To 1t that good,
clean SPORT shall not BIO open 70 the
suspicion Of becoming a semi profess
sional business.
Success is the gospel of the hour
and very dangerous gospel lt ls' but
oyeI.y honorable man knows that sue
c.ss ia often purchased at price that
loowes n man Il moral bankrupt. This
nnnncns in football as in everything
oIsn and to colleges AZ we'll ms to men.
some victories reflect discredit and not
credit upon the college that wins them.
pressure is sometimes brought TO- bear
mon the heads Of colleges to silently
ucGuiesce in this kind OF athletic ehi-
cheney, or at least to turn a blind eye
70 methods which they knew hre igno.
ia H. II Is to their credit that most Of
n1e, .har, hive sense enough, as we'll aS
cnuroce @ enough, to stand against it. We
Tcv h"i;cvc the great body Of alumni viii
"nmroye ] this stand, and that it will also
have have the approval of all the lovers Of
n SNORT Whose good opinion Is worth