The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-24
RULES OF GRIDIRON
NOT KNOWN BY FANS
AS IN OTHER SPORTS

Football has so many appealing |
features that it is developing intol
Americas highest sport
The gridiron has its unique features
also and one of them was pointed our
few days ago by Ernie" Quigley.
National League umpire, and one Of
the prominent girdiron referees.
LESS is known about football rules
and the inside part of the game than
any other big American sport. 1t is
rather surprising to think sometimes
that such imense crowds will turn out
to see a game that the majority know
so little about" Quigley said.
Take baseball for instance. The
base runner is being run down between
two bases, he evades one of the base
men and gets safely to the bag, but
is called out by the umpire. Practical
ly every spectator knows that he was
out for running out of the line.
Boxing rules are known to the let
ter by the youngest fan. When one
contestant in the ring is disqualified
the majority are able to tell the rea-
son without moments thought"
"On the football field, however, a
forward pass can be thrown and the
play apparently successfully executed.
The whistle of the referee is blown,
the ball is brought back and the team
in possession is penalized a down. 1t
is safe to say that not three per cent
OF the spectators are able to quote
the rule that was violated.
when the time comes that foot
ball rules are familiar to the ordinary
layman, and when the fine points Of
the game are known, it will be impos
sible to accommodate the crowds"
Football in its fine points is more
; or less mysterious not because it is
a highly complicated game, but be-
cause the rules are so hazily worded
and so many changes are made from
year to year, that it almost takes a
corporation lawyer to get clear on the
rule book
Quigley teams in his umpire work
with Charley Moran, the Center col
lege coach, and they claim that they
spend most of their summer evenings
many times until the wee hours of
the morning, going over the changes
in the rules and figuring out just
what they mean.
When two football experts have
TO go to all that time and trouble to
get straight on the legal end Of the
game, it is no puzzle why the ordinary
fan who sees fotball once a week
from a great distances satisfied
with a rudimentary knowledge OF
what is taking place on the field.
After all, however, the fan, knows
that the main idea is to get the ball
over the goal line, and that's where
the interesting work comes.
The game holds good for polo, which
has the most complicated rules OF
all sports. It's a safe bet that not
two dozen spectators who see the big
international matches next month will
know what it is all about, except that
the main idea is to knock the ball
between the goal posts.
1t might be argued that that is suf-
ficient
Tennis perhaps is the simplest
game of all for the spectators. The
ESSENTIAL points of the game can be
learned in five minutes and the rules
are very easy to understand
Boxing rules are so clear that nc
fan has trouble in finding out what
the boys can't do. The main trouble
i is in learning what they want to do
The one rule, most generally known
by the professional athletes and never
violated is-"Call at the office fol
your money"