New-York tribune., 1922-12-17
Sports Views
Abroad Differ
From Our Own
Draper Draws Comparisons
Between Harvard Yale
and Oxford Cambridge
By Arthur S. Draper

LONDON. Nov. 30 (By MaiD.-when
one reads the accounts Of the football
games ten days after they have been
played the thrill Is not quite the same
az one gets at New Haven or Prince
ton. but still we should hate 10 have
the papers 60 astray en- route.
An American does net appreciate
fully how much Of a hold sports have
on his countrymen until he leaves
home and looks at the Ramc-footbali
or baseball from seat In the Euro
pean grandstand. There are "fans" In
Europe people who mug and kias the
swarthy, dussy Italian who has Just
established his claim az walking cham
rior Of Europe: Frcnchmen who hug
ard kiss a Battling Ski ono moment
md kick him out Of the squarcd ring
the next; people who crown wrestler
with laurel wreath and make him
look like 4 comic opera king. But l
have yet 20 find o nation where 30
many Of the people are fans as is the
case in America.
Which raises the heretieal question
Do we take sport too seriously? Fifty
odd thousand watched The Princeton
Yale game, according 70 Tho Tribune
report, and probably forty times that
number we're interested IN the result,
but not even the score was cablcd 20
the European newspapers. ] do not
know ye, the result or the attendance
at the Army-Nsvy rame, but ] judge
the 'm.dshipmen won, becaute this
morning there is a cable In "The
Times" stating that Secretary DENLY
is instituting an investigation Of the
charge that the sailors broke the Vol
stead law.
VIC are the greatest enthuHiasts in
the world and are proud Of Il. Some
times we cannot find enough adjectives
10 express our feelings, and 50 We coin
some. We produce world champion
boxers and runners and jumpers and
osrfmon and golfers AMI tennis and
polo players. Our system OF training
Is unequalled. Team work IL developed
20 the highest degree. And our en-
thusiaBm is keyed just a. high or even
wee biz higher thsn our athletes.
One reads about the preparations for a
big game. There are reports Of the
fierce scrimmAging, the injuries sus-
tsined by the stars and finally the
heroic measures Of the leaders 70 get
the student bodys morale 10 full
fighting pitch.
When one sits down 20 read batch
Of weeks papers and goes through
them at single sitting the reports
from, say, Princeton and Yale in the
six days before the annual match. one
feels az the end almost as jumpy as
the day the first punt came hurtling
down the held and there was no way
to escape II. The strain on the stu
dent body must be terrific.
The Blue Ribbon In England
All Of which brings US TO the annual
Rugby game between Oxford and Cam
bridge. OF course, weeks ago We read
Of the play Of the freshmen, OF last
years substitutes, Of the preliminary
games. There Is no three-year rule 20
bar freshmen from the varsity. II
some one is injured we must be salts
fed with the laconic statement that
"Mr. Wickham Smith Is standing out
because Of injuries" no thrilling, but
narrowing details. There are come
very excellent cracks preparing the
teams, but we do not even know their
names, unless we 20 up 20 Oxford or
Cambridge or 70 the Oxford and Cam
bridge Club in Pail Mall
The Rugby writer's and "Old Blues"
love the game as golfer loves a good
lie and a straight carry 70 the green.
They write about the teehnic Of the
game and they are no stronger In their
praise Of a good pack than they are
critical o. the back who mufs the
ball yard from the goal. They do