Evening star., 1922-01-27

surprise certain collegiate authoriti,
of intercollegiate athletics is taken
athletic directors or such organizatic
Association. but. by those who are
college work.
Competition on the field of play
among the various colleges will not
be assailed, because the benefits Of
games of the sort is thoroughly ap-
preciated. but II is not at all unlikely
that certain outcroppings of the in
tercollegiate athletic system will un-
dergo rigid scrutiny.
Two Cases in Point.
Educators feel that no better DEM
onstration of the effects of foot ball
given than at an alumni gathering OF
great educational institutions. at
which the president of the college
was invited to speak. Arriving at
the meeting he was asked to limit his
remarks to fifteen minutes. as the
foot ball head coach was to have the
center of the stage for the greater
Dart of the evening. Another sign of
The times is the reported engagement
of Bo McMillin, the Centre College
star. by southern institution which,
according to the story, will pay him
|S25,000 for three years service.
1t is felt that if Harvard feels the
Keen pricking of present tendencies
and inclineS toward modification or
present conditions, then. indeed, the
time has come for all to look to mend
ing their fences. For such success as
is derived from successful foot ball
syStem-SucceSSful from the stand
point of victories and its corollary
financial returns-has certainly fallen
to Harvard'S lot.
It has drawn to the stadium each
year teams qualified to attract bump
er crowds Saturday after Saturday,
and in journeyinS to the commercial
communal festival at Pasadena In
1920 she set an example and gave
sanction to long-distance migrations
which has born fruit of sort appar-
emily not to the liking of DR.. Lowell
of the University at Cambridge.
In other words, it would appear that
Harvard'S athletic prestige has turn
guished Harvard men. This being
so, the stupendous and far-reaching
influence of whatever Harvard may
say, or whatever Harvard eventually
may do will be appreciated.
As to Intramural Sports.
Intercollegiate sport has long been
hailed as the chief incentive. as it
is the chief means of support Of in
tramural athletics. Yet. at Chicago.
high. it is set forth that intramural
sports have long been neglected. In
fact, thus far this year they have
not been vouched for at all. Yet
Chicago defeated Princeton at foot
ball and apparently Is satisfied. Yet
whose satisfaction over sporting mat
ters should be deeper-Princeton's
with twelve or fifteen hundred young
nsnen engaged competitively in class,
club and group. base ball. basket
ball rowing, track. hockey, boxing,
wrestling. gymnastics and swim
no intramural sport system. and a
few successful varsity teams?
From Dartmouth comes word that
'.no one who studies the signs in the
skies can doubt that a showdown is
coming. No one questions the value
instrument for many Of the most de-
sirable qualities Of mental and bod
lily strength. But, somehow, this
greatest on-earth philosophy OF
intercollegiate athletics must be
5olted into reasonableness."
At Harvard it Is believed that minor
sport teams and the system of in
tramural sports could be maintained
without stadium gate receipts by tax
ing the students, as Is done in England.
However the Harvard crimson believes
that this placing of responsibility upon
Yet" says the editor. playing Of foot
ball games for the financial gain alone
smacks more of the professional than
the amateur" 1t was this very princi-
pie alone. no doubt. that led to the
withdrawal of the annual ArIny-Navy
game from the Polo Grounds to Phila-
delphia-
Not One-Sided Question.
Harvard, more or less academically,
has been pondering whether or not all
foot ball games, save that with Yale,
could be abandoned without loss of
savor. No doubt they could Certainly
= Harvard-Yale game has sufficient
prestige to stand by itself without
preliminary bolstering in the shape Of
games against other collegiate sisters
Financially, however. a scheme Of the sort
would require lot of readjusting; for
the stadium on Soldiers Field is an in
vestment and presumably must yield a
return, just as the Yale bowl and other
great arenas must yield return on in
restnient.
Few have realized what a part the
building of great stadia plays in the
conduct of intercollegiate sport.
They cost money and. save in the
case Of Princeton and Syracuse, whose
fine amphitheateres were outright
gifts. they have to show returns. 1t
is perfectly clear that Ohio States
great million dollar stadium to be
finished next fall must yield return,
and so to yield Ohio must produce
teams qualified to win more than a
fair percentage Of victories and to
enlist attractive opponents. The
University of Michigan has stadium
that seats fifty thousand. Lehigh
has q fifteen thousand capacity arena
end the University Of Illinois and
University of Kansas are conducting
campaigns for stadia, the one at
1Trbana to be a stupendous thing.
The University of Washington at
Seattle has a stadium with a capacity
OF sixty thousand. Do we note from
II his fact connection with the trans
continental trips of eastern teams to
play there?
Good Coaches Come High.
Other colleges have various prof.
ects, endowments and the like.
which are supposed to be furthered
l,y successful foot ball teams. Sue
cessful foot ball teams. whether in
colleges or universities, consistently
successful that is to say, are, pro-
sluced and developed only through
|,,i-h-piced coaching and recruiting
Of material through one method or
smother. There is nc. doubt about
This at all.
All in all college presidents. trus-
tees and faculty members when they
attempt to grapple with the thing
that has grown up will face problems
eot to be solved through theory or
Through the submission of reports.
fConvr,rht