New Britain herald., 1925-12-03
DEBATE
 ONLY ARGUMENT
Pros and Cons Talk About
 "OVerenphaSiS"

Cambridge, Mass, Dec. 8 LP - Newspapers, the alumni, the public, commercialism and false idealism, were among the destructive evils cited by affirmative debaters In the Harvard Unions debate here last night on the question, "Resolved; That This House Deprecates The Present Emphasis on Intercol- legiate Football" The negative up- holders declared that if overempha- sis is admitted there was no debat- able question and the debate involv- ed into an argument on whether or not such emphasis exists.
 After the first vote of the audi ence had given a 204 to 200 decision to the negative side, recount re- yersed the tally to 215 to 200 votes in favor of the affirmative.
 The affirmative side of the ques- ton was upheld by Stanley J. Os- borne, Harvard team manager, Jos eph McGlone, substitute quarterback on the Harvard team and Richard II. Field, managing editor of the Crimson. On the negative side were William Cunningham. football writ CT of the Boston Post and former Dartmouth football player, Thomas D. Blake, a coach for Harvard's sec and team and varsity scout, and Ma jor Frank w. Cavanaugh. Boston college football coach. Dean Edward F. Whitney presided.
 Osborne opened the debate by saying that football was great game but was faced by three evils, newspapers, alumni and the general public.
 The papers have brought foot ball to a point where it is not easy for team to win or lose grace fully" he said. There is an over emphasis which results in football news receiving greater publicity than national or international questions. The alumni expends any amount of energy to get good football team 0A4A N44SiN 10 q SAO"iA6 N'ANSAlSJ bJ the public to judge colleges not by academic standing but by teams"
 Cunningham, referring 10 the con tention that newspapers had over emphasized the game. said the con- dilIon was largely local and that "a few persons who have taken football too seriously are responsible for the present stir"
 1 NcGlone said he liked football, football players and contended the game had distinct advantages to player, undergraduate. graduate and public. He dccricd spring practice because it cut on time for eXamina- ton and said early fall practice also was detrimental. As to organized scouting. he asserted it detracted from sportsmanship.
 Field, the editor of the Crimson, said the fact that players liked the game and that newspapers respond ed to reader demand in printing the stories were beside the point, and regretted that football men should be treated 'the same as professional baseball players" If a shortstop who gets $5,000 a game makes eight errors in an afternoon he can stand little adverse criticism, but foot ball players who are playing for sport are the butt of critics and often carry the stigma of a wrong play through life.
 Coach Cavanaugh opened by say ing there wasn't any debate be cause the question had been so clev- erly arranged that there is no argu- ment." He wondered how many were in sympathy with the Grim son which due either to the insan- lty or ambition of its editors, has at tempted to make great stir over something which doesn't exist"
 Harvard stands on it's own feet" he said, and can judge whether it wants football. If it doesn't it will stand alone because the day has gone when one college can dominate the situation. The man who objects to football probably gets his Sunday sermon at home over the radio. I don't know where you can find greater, cleaner or better men than on football teams"